Lancashire chefs take Lancashire to London
Cooked for the country’s
top critics in Lancashire Day showcase
The Ribble Valley’s top chefs headed to London to celebrate
Lancashire Day in delicious style. Five chefs including Stosie Madi fromParkersarms, Chris Bury from The Cartford Inn, Maurizio Bocchi from La Locanda,
Steven Smith from Freemason’s at Wiswell and Lisa Goodwin-Allen from Michelin
starred Northcote prepared a 5 course feast for top food writers, critics and
industry insiders at the exclusive IceTank venue in Covent Garden on Thursday
the 17th of November.
Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing
Lancashire said, “The Lancashire Day Lunch was a triumph. Our aim is to
position Lancashire at the forefront of culinary destinations nationwide and
following this successful event our food and drink offer is now firmly on the
map, with national journalists and influencers taking note. We couldn’t have
been prouder of our chefs, working together to present course after course of
the very best of Lancashire.”
The event, supported by Lancashire County Council and official
travel partner Virgin Trains, is part of the county’s Lancashire Day
celebrations that will culminate on Lancashire Day, 27 November. Marketing
Lancashire is spear-heading a social media campaign inviting all proud
Lancastrians to post images of their favourite Lancashire scenes, events and
delicious local produce using #LancashireDay. Last year a similar
campaign reached over 40 million people in 816 locations worldwide.
Maurizio Bocchi, chef-patron at La Locanda, in Gisburn, which is the
highest rated Italian restaurant outside London, said “As an adopted
Lancastrian who tries to celebrate the Lancashire larder in every dish I
produce, it was fantastic to be able to showcase this in London. I was very
proud to be a part of such a game changing initiative.”
Stosie Madi, chef-patron at multi award-winning Parkersarms said “It was
a spectacular showcase and a chance for some of the UK’s most respected critics
and writers to try our food. I served a Cockerham Saltmarsh Lamb and Lytham
Cockle Pie, and received some wonderful feedback, a very proud moment.”
Steven Smith, Chef Patron at The Freemasons at Wiswell, said; “There is
an abundance of quality operators and producers in our region and it was
fantastic to be able to package that offering up and deliver it to an esteemed
audience in London. I’m very proud that The Freemasons was part of such a great
event, which really showcased what we’re capable of and hopefully will drive
incentivise media to include Lancashire in their food & drink and travel
features in the future.”
Jennifer Mein, County Councillor and Leader of
Lancashire County Council said,
“Lancashire’s food and drink sector is worth around £734 million to
Lancashire’s visitor economy and the sector supports an estimated 12,937 food
and drink related posts. Taking ‘Lancashire to London’ will encourage more
visitors to sample and appreciate the county’s rich larder. We have some
of the best produce in the country and raising awareness of this around
Lancashire Day, sends out a strong message to visitors as well as to proud
Lancastrians.”
Food and drink is worth around £734 million to
Lancashire’s visitor economy, which has grown by £129 million over the
last 6 years. This makes the county’s food and drink sector a strategic
priority for the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as highlighted in the
newly launched Lancashire narrative and ‘We Are Lancashire’ campaign, along
with the county’s advanced manufacturing, tourism and connectivity by air, sea
and rail.
The 5 award winning chefs cooking were Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Head Chef
of Michelin-starred Northcote, Maurizo Bocchi from La
Locanda, Chris Bury from The Cartford Inn, Stosie Madi
from The Parker’s Arms and Steven Smith from the Freemasons
at Wiswell.
The menu featured a wealth of Lancastrian producers from traditional
Morecambe Bay shrimps & Lytham cockles, Goosnargh duck, artisan goat’s
cheese from Capra Products, Ormskirk potatoes, Salt Marsh lamb from Cockerham,
Brockhall village apples, honey from Crossmoor Farm, raw milk butter from
Gazegill Organics and Burnley’s latest artisan gin distiller, Batch Brew.
Burnley-based CoolKit Ltd provided refrigerated transport to ensure all
the ingredients arrive in top condition.
The unique meal included a gourmet coffee course from Lancaster’s oldest
and most admired coffee importers Atkinson’s. The feast ended in true
Lancashire style with a Lancashire cheese board supplied by Dewlay and Mrs.
Kirkham’s, alongside handmade chutneys from Heritage Kitchen and biscuits from
Farmhouse Biscuits.
On the 27 November 1295 King Edward I invited
Lancashire’s first representatives to attend Parliament. Today this historic
event is marked by the reading of proclamations, swearing allegiance to the
Queen, and by numerous events and activities taking place across the county to
celebrate what we now call Lancashire
Day (27 November).
Content and Images supplied by Marketing Lancashire
