Exmoor Food Fest

Local Tea & Coffee merchant Miles is independently ranked 2nd in UK tea brands

To be ranked among the top tea brands for four years in a row is quite an achievement for the West Country based family business. ‘Best Brands’ magazine have just issued the 16/17 edition showing Miles now ranked as the 2^nd most popular brand for independent retailers to stock in the UK. Miles has moved up two places since first being voted in the top 5 brands.

John Halls Operations Director tasting another batch of teas with a copy of ‘Best Brands 16/17.

John Halls, Operations Director said ‘this is a brilliant recognition for Food and Drink producers in Somerset and the West Country. This is just the kind of positive news we need to kick start another season. We have also had a good year with stores such as Tesco seeing an increase of 20% in the sales of Miles Tea and Hot Chocolate. We hope next time we might make the top spot in Best Brands.’

So how has Miles outranked the giant brands in the tea market? John says ‘it’s down to our heritage and quality. We’ve got a genuine story to tell of family tradition along with great tasting blends. A recent survey shows customers try our products and then stay brand loyal, that’s a good indication of our consistent quality. The Somerset coastal location is very important with our secret ingredient being ‘West Country warmth!’

Miles Tea and Coffee is a family run business established in 1888. The West Somerset based business creates quality tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Following a recent rebrand Miles are promoting the West Country by partnering with local communities, West Country businesses, and sponsorship. Miles products are available in Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, the Co-op and many other stores.

Join a Farm & Food Tour and get to cuddle piglets

Join Shaun and Daphne for a scenic drive across the moors in a LandRover to a remote hill farm for a tour of the farm with the farmers who will show you their free range pork, Dexter cattle, dairy goats and alpacas. You are then invited into the traditional farmhouse for refreshments and tastings of the delicious food they produce, followed by a demonstration of alpaca wool spinning.

10 February 2017
Depart Luccombe 1.30 pm, transport provided.

Return to Luccombe approx. 5.00 pm

BOOK NOW

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West Country Farm & Food Tours

When we talk to people about our business, we often receive comments relating to our enthusiasm and passion. We thought you might like to know why we do what we do.

1) We get a kick out of the facial expressions of our tour guests when they learn something new or taste something delicious. We enjoy receiving feedback from our host farmers and food producers – especially when they’ve opened someone’s eyes to something they didn’t know existed. Seeing our group purchase produce direct from its source knowing they will enjoy eating it later really makes us smile.

2) We get to spend the day travelling around the stunning countryside of the West Country, pootling along country lanes and visiting locations that are often not open to the general public – heaven! For our guests who dont know the area or who dont like narrow lanes with high hedges, we take away the stress of reversing or getting lost and replace it with comfort, companionship and commentary.

3) Food. We like food – especially locally produced food. One of the most important elements of a day out with us is our lunch stop. Sometimes we will head to a café, tea room or pub, other times one of our host food producers will provide a light lunch at their location. We can also make use of suppliers to create yummy picnics that we can enjoy wherever we choose.

4) We see ourselves as a link bringing together suppliers (farmers and food producers) and consumers (our tour guests). We might visit a farm to learn about their beef production, but our guests will leave knowing there are idyllic holiday cottages and a camp site there too. Our group will learn where products can be purchased in the future too, such as local farmers markets or on line.

5) Our transport is provided by local community transport groups for which we pay a commercial rate. This enables them to use the money to support the vital community based work they often struggle to fund. We make sure we treat the drivers properly too – they come on the visits and enjoy lunch with us.

6) Children are indeed the future, and we want to give them a taste of our tours too. Already some of our tour guests have given us a contribution to our education fund, and some of our host farmers have insisted on giving their fee to the cause. Our aim is to be able to provide local schools with a taste of West Country Farm and Food Tours.

Clavelshay Barn joins the Exmoor Food Fest

Clavelshay Barn Restaurant near Taunton/Bridgwater is one of the establishments taking part. Co-owner, Sue Milverton, said: “We’re delighted once again this year to be participating in the 2017 Exmoor Food Fest from February 1 until 28.

“It’s all about showcasing the very best our region has to offer. It is a celebration of all local produce and local talent, the very things we’re devoted to here at Clavelshay.”

Clavelshay Barn will be running special menus as part of Exmoor Food Fest on Wednesday and Thursday evenings during February with two courses priced £10 and three courses £15.

The award-winning business, which at the end of last year was crowned as the Westcountry’s top restaurant in the Taste of the West Awards and named the region’s ‘No. 1 Place to Go’, also has accolades from the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Awards, run by Services for Tourism, for being the Restaurant of the Year and having the very highest standards in customer service.

Sue, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband Bill, said: “We won seven awards in 2016 including the Taste of the West South West Restaurant of the Year and being named their No 1 Place to Go.

“We also won Silver in the Bristol Bath & Somerset Tourism Awards – Restaurant of the Year category and won Gold in the Unsung Hero for Customer Service. These were a direct result of all the effort everyone on the team puts in on a daily basis here. We also owe a great deal to our wonderful diners who give us lots of support and encouragement.

“We pride ourselves on serving up the very best in customer service, use only the highest quality local, seasonal ingredients and have developed a stunning menu thanks to our incredible French head chef, Olivier Certain, who has a flair for creating some of the most fabulous food I have ever tasted.

“Olivier creates stunning dishes with French flair. His style of cooking is classical French but after living in England for more than 18 years, he has learnt English dishes to an extremely high standard and knows exactly what our diners like to eat.”

The restaurant is in a lovingly restored and converted 18th century stone barn at the foot of the picturesque Quantock Hills at Lower Clavelshay Farm near North Petherton.

The restaurant is set on a family-run farm that produces its own milk, beef, pork, lamb and eggs, which all feature in its top quality and tasty dishes.

Sue added: “At Clavelshay, we also strive to use as much produce as possible from the farm and the surrounding countryside. We use our own pork, rose veal, wild rabbit, pigeon, pheasant and our own farm-reared beef on the menu.

“We have a walled garden where we grow salad leaves, herbs, soft fruit and vegetables. If it is not possible to use our own produce, we only use local suppliers who can provide us with quality local produce, which is fully traceable.”

Also in 2016, Sue and the team won a top accolade for the best micro business in the Sedgemoor Business Excellence Awards.

Olivier will also be cooking at a special launch dinner for the 2017 festival at the Luttrell Arms in Dunster on January 26 He will be one of five award-winning chefs joining the Luttrell’s Head Chef, Barrie Tucker to cook seven courses.

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Guest Chef Dinner to launch this year’s Exmoor Food Fest at the Luttrell Arms

Not long now until the launch of this year’s Exmoor Food Fest. 7 renowned chefs* will prepare 7 exquisite courses on Thursday, 26 January 2017.

There are only a few tickets left, so if you want to go, better book soon.

*Names to be published later today!

Michelin starred Mason Arms, Knowstone release Exmoor Food Fest dates

Here are the details of the Mason Arms Lunchtime offer during the Exmoor Food Fest!

“We have 4 lunchtimes available as follows:

Wednesday 1st February
Tuesday 7th February
Thursday 23rd February
Tuesday 28th February

As before we will be offering a 3 course lunch with a choice from 3 starters, 3 mains, cheese or choice of 2 desserts at the price of £15 for the three courses

Covers will be strictly limited to 40 per lunchtime over 2 sittings 12:00 and 1:45, the largest available tables will be for 6 guests.”

Mark & Sarah Dodson extend you a very warm welcome to their picturesque, thatched 13th Century Inn and Michelin Restaurant situated in the village of Knowstone on the edge of Exmoor, Devon and close to the main Atlantic Highway link from the M5 to North Devon and North Cornwall.

Award winning one star Michelin Restaurant with exceptional local cuisine using only the finest ingredients, presented with taste and style. Wonderful friendly service completes your experience in this first class restaurant or our traditional bar area. Real Ale and Champagne by the glass with a wine list to suit all tastes. Truly two experiences in one!

To book, call 01398 341231!

Oriental Banquet at Knowle Manor

Join us for a delicious banquet in the splendid setting of Knowle Manor near Dunster – £25.00 per person.

Complimentary glass of Prosecco or Elderflower Spritzer

Canapés on arrival
Mini Thai Blue Swimmer crab cakes with Claires Kitchen Chilli Jam and micro Basil

Starter
Vietnamese Tiger Prawns on a fragrant Asian salad

(V)Vietnamese Wild Mushrooms on a fragrant Asian salad

Main
Little Oak Farm Free range double cooked Char Siu pork on a spring onion and Szechuan soba noodle stack

(V)Thai sweet potato curry with coconut pilau rice and a pineapple,cucumber and coriander salad

Dessert
Cinnamon,ginger and star anise poached pineapple upside down cake,pineapple syrup with a vanilla creme fraiche

There will be a licensed bar.

Exmoor Food Fest celebrates the Taste of Exmoor

In February, the third Exmoor Food Fest will tempt foodies to eat their way across Exmoor when participating restaurants offer two courses for £10/ 3 courses for £15.00. There will also be markets and food related events during this time, celebrating the best our region has to offer.

A special dinner will launch the 2017 festival at the Luttrell Arms in Dunster on 26 January: Six award winning chefs are going to join Head Chef Barrie Tucker to cook seven courses for some very lucky diners. The menu is still a secret, but will focus on local produce and seasonal fare.

Exmoor is home to many outstanding local products such as Porlock Oysters and Exmoor Caviar.

Diners at the Exmoor Food Fest launch will be able to taste Wicked Wolf Gin which is handcrafted by husband and wife team Pat Patel and Julie Heap on their property on Exmoor on the banks of the river Lyn. Nettlecombe based award winning Secret Orchard Cider and Madrigal Ales (brewed in Lynmouth) are two more outstanding local products which are available to sample at some of the Exmoor Markets which will take place in February.

The Exmoor Food Fest runs through the whole month of February. Originally the idea of local chef Andrew Dixon, the event is now organised by Elke Winzer who is also behind Exmoor4all (an online platform for all things Exmoor, including an online shop) and the Exmoor Markets which take place regularly at Tesco’s Minehead and other locations around Exmoor. The Dunster Food Festival will be the grand finale on the Exmoor Food Fest on the last weekend in February.

“The Exmoor Food Fest helps local businesses in the hospitality sector to show off their skills. The festival deal of 2 courses for £10 tempts many people into restaurants at a time of year when business tends to be slow,” explains Elke Winzer.

For the first time, all participating restaurants will take part in the Taste of Exmoor Awards. Customers will be able to vote online for their best dining experience – the winners will be crowned at the Awards Ceremony at Butlins at the end of March. Tearooms and village shops are also encouraged to sign up for the Exmoor Food Fest.

Information about all the restaurants signed up for the Exmoor Food Fest as well as tearooms and village shops will be available on the website www.exmoorfoodfest.com.

It’s raining stars on Exmoor!

The team at Exmoor Food Fest would like to congratulate all these amazing chefs:

Thomas Carr and his team at the Olive Room in Ilfracombe won their first Michelin star: “A local chef who knows how to make the best our of his local ingredients.”

Mark Dodson and his team at The Mason Arms in Knowstone retained their Michelin star for the 12th year.

Barrie Tucker and his team at the Luttrell Arms in Dunster were awarded an AA Rosette.

And, finally, Olivier Certain at the Clavelshay Barn has just been announced to be a Taste of the West 2016 Champion as “Best Restaurant”! This comes two weeks after winning an award in the Somerset Life Food & Drink Awards.