Nice as pie

SLOWLY but surely, Lancashire is witnessing a gastronomic revolution.

More and more people are shunning food shipped into their local supermarket from across the world in favour of produce made locally.

The big stores - once accused of pushing smaller suppliers and individual shops out of business - are now embracing the concept of buying locally.

Meat, yoghurt, honey, jam, flowers, alcohol - anything that can be made locally, is being made.

And the result is a massive shot in the arm for East Lancashire's economy.

Crippled by Foot and Mouth Disease and on the wane beforehand, full-on promotion and adopting new ways of working have resulted in more and more local produce appearing on shelves.

Bowland Forest Foods is a prime example.

They sell farm-assured beef and lamb in the form of a meat co-operative and their mission statement sums up why buying local is becoming more and more important.

"We care about the stock we raise in Bowland, our reputation, and future, rest upon it" it reads.

The individual farmers within the scheme have always known the quality of their goods means they can compete with anyone, but price and quantity has been a factor in the past.

Director Lawrence Whittaker said: "We now supply the catering industry, butchers and even people directly if they want to stock up.

"Working together means we can get a brand well-known and get ourselves into markets we would otherwise not been able to, which helps us a lot.

"More and more people seem to like to know where there meat has come from."

It's not just meat, either.

The Made in Lancashire organisation was established around three years ago to help small firms making local goods get them into the market-place.

Harriett Clayton, project officer for the scheme funded through the Government and development agencies, said: "Everything was so confusing that often producers did not know where to turn for the help they needed.

"We bring those bodies together and simplify the task of getting the help food producers really want."

They also work to promote firms making local produce.

Dairies, farm shops, cheese manufacturers, butchers, farmers and vegetable growers are all involved.

It is hoped the special 'Made in Lancashire' logo will develop into a sign of quality which attracts people who understand the benefits of paying slightly more.

Benefits in general of buying locally include less pollution because goods travel shorter distances from farm to a person's plate and direct support for the local economy, because more of the money goes back into the local economy. And it's argued that local food is fresher - because it undergoes less processing - while local produce also has an element of traceability because people can find out where it comes from.

Kevin Berkins runs the Topiary Brassiere, at the Fence Gate Inn, and won the Made In Lancashire Sausage Championship earlier this year with his offering of pork and black pudding with a hint of sage. All the ingredients in his creation were local.

He said: "People are becoming more aware of what they are eating and want to know where it comes from.

"We're seeing that here all the time which is why we're introducing a new menu which will flag up dishes with ingredients which are local.

"Wherever we can, we'll buy locally.

"I see that we're all in Lancashire together so if I can buy something made locally, I will."

For many, seeking out good local food has become more of a pleasure than a shopping chore.

That was clearly in evidence at the Royal Lancashire Show this week, which boasted its own food hall, a farmers' market and an agricultural tent.

Among those there was Chris O'Brien, from Susan's Farmhouse Fudge in Samlesbury.

With such a wide variety of chocolate and sweet goods available from all manner of sources, he said that quality was the key to their success.

He said: "People seem to like to know where things are made, and if it is local and known it's better."

Shopper Sylvia Tattersall, 43, from Colne, said: "I go to the farmers' markets whenever I can because it is nice to talk to the people who have grown the food and hear how it's done.

"It is worth paying more for the peace of mind that something hasn't travelled across the world."

Small firms are also finding supermarkets paying more attention to them than in the past - and more of the time on the smaller firms' terms too.

Little Town Dairy in Longridge supplies a variety of yoghurts to Safeway and Sainsburys; Butlers in Inglewhite provides a variety of cheeses to Tesco, while Farmhouse Fare in Gisburn supplies puddings to several supermarkets.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "Taking produce made locally is something our customers consider to be important and like the choice it gives them."

A spokesman for Asda added: "Our customers have asked for a wide variety of goods made locally and we have responded to that."