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The Forest of Dean has an amazing
number of small scale, high quality food producers and retailers
in its 480 square miles.
The District Council is keen to support developments in locally
produced fine food for the benefit of tourists and associated food
industry businesses that bring economic benefits to the local area.
Each year, in autumn, there is a Forest Showcase (www.forestshowcase.org)
which celebrates the very best products available.
There is currently considerable publicity surrounding the issue
of ‘food miles.’ In its simplest form, the issue relates
to the distance food travels from field to plate. Agriculture and
food account for nearly 30 per cent of goods transported on the
roads. We now travel further for our shopping and use the car more
often to do it. Each year, the average UK adult travels about 135
miles by car to shop for food, more often than not making trips
to large, out-of-town supermarkets. Taking advantage of the wide
range of seasonal local produce can reduce the amount of food miles
travelled and, possibly, the household food bill as well.
We are fortunate in the Forest as there is a wide variety of local
producers, supplying some of the country’s most prestigious
retailers, such as Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, as well as
local residents. Some notable local successes include Stinking Bishop
cheese, produced in Dymock from the milk of Gloucester cattle, and
award winning Freeminer beer from a Cinderford brewery. At Newent
there is England’s leading, and most awarded, single estate
vineyard, Three Choirs Vineyard, and another one nearby, St Anne’s
Vineyard, produces country wines, as well as some traditional grape
varieties. The Authentic Bread Company in Newent had its big break
when, in just its first year of business, it won the Best Bread
award in the Soil Association’s Good Food awards.
Another local producer, Smart’s Traditional Gloucester Cheese,
makes Single and Double Gloucester cheeses. There is a smokery at
Chaxhill which produces the finest quality, dry cured, oak smoked
salmon, as well as kippers, trout, haddock, mackerel fillets either
plain or coated in various pastes and hot smoked wild eels with
a rich woody finish, in addition to chicken and duck breasts.
As well as food to eat at home, eating out is an important aspect
of food in the Forest of Dean. There is a vast choice, ranging from
country house restaurants, or continental cafes, tearooms and pubs,
to restaurants serving traditional English food. Many pride themselves
on sourcing and serving the best local produce, often adding an
innovative twist. Last, but certainly not least, there are numerous
take-aways, offering Chinese and Indian meals, pizzas, kebabs, rolls
and sandwiches and, of course, fish and chips.
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