Twenty-four food producers from across England and Wales are celebrating this week having picked up a prestigious Fine Farm Produce Award from the National Trust.
The awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate the breadth and quality of produce farmed, grown or processed on land owned or managed by the National Trust, including tenant farms, orchards and gardens.
A total of 37 products – including mushrooms, cheese, lamb, beef and onions – have received the award and will now be able to use the coveted Fine Farm Produce Award logo on their products. The winning products were chosen from a very high standard of 46 separate entries.
To qualify for judging, products must meet strict criteria of provenance and environmental and animal welfare standards. Then, in order to win a coveted award, each product is subjected to a rigorous taste test by a panel of judges.
First time winner Cynan Jones, owner of Mushrooms & More in North Wales, won an award for his organic gourmet mushrooms.
Shitake, oyster and chestnut mushrooms are grown in specially converted growing rooms, housed on National Trust land near Cynan’s own farm.
As well as selling fresh mushrooms, any mushrooms not sold are dried or used in anti-pasto.
The judges were impressed with the flavoursome and rich taste of the mushrooms as well as the way that Cynan had added value to his own product by ensuring there was no waste.
Cynan said:
'Winning the award is a great endorsement for the quality of our mushrooms.'
Rob Macklin, the National Trust’s head of agriculture, said:
'The awards are given to only the very best produce from the places looked after by the National Trust.
More than 80 per cent of the land we care for in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is farmed, and we work closely with many of our tenants in helping them develop high quality products.
Winning an award means that products have had to pass rigorous tests to ensure they are produced to the highest possible standards.
Since 2006, over 80 products have received a Fine Farm Produce Award and this year’s winners will join a group of some of the very best producers that the country has to offer.'
This year the panel included Henrietta Green, a food writer, broadcaster and founder of FoodLoversBritain.com, who set the standards for the original Fine Farm Produce Awards, Richard McGeown, a restaurant owner who trained under Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsey and Raymond Blanc, and Rob Macklin, the National Trust’s head of agriculture.
Henrietta Green added: 'The standards set by the National Trust for these awards are extremely high.
As someone who has pioneered the cause of the small British producer, it is so encouraging to see such fantastic regional British food delivering on quality, distinctiveness, provenance and taste.
This year we tasted rare-breed pork, hill lamb, grass-fed beef, dried-cured bacon, daisy-fresh crabmeat, single-variety apple juices and blossom honey – to mention a few.'
The National Trust is passionate about using local and seasonal food in its 150 tearooms and cafes. Many of this year’s Fine Farm Produce Award winners sell their produce either through their own farm shop or direct to customers.
