The sixth British Food Fortnight that took place from September 22 to October 7 was the biggest ever national celebration of the diverse and delicious range of food that Britain produces, festival organisers have claimed. More shops, pubs, restaurants, schools and food festivals took part than ever before in a myriad of events and promotions.

The team behind the Buy British message calculated it has reached millions. Tens of thousands attended food festivals in Aldeburgh, the East Midlands, West Sussex, South Somerset, Malvern, York, Leicestershire, Manchester, Alnwick and the Brecon Beacons. Promotions have been held in shops, pubs and restaurants, activities in schools, events at National Trust properties and famous landmarks made out of British wheat were exhibited in London.

In the media, coverage was achieved on BBC News online, BBC Radio 2, ITV and QVC, as well as in every national newspaper and other publications from education to lifestyle, travel to farming and retail to catering.

The event’s website received 5.8 million hits and was visited by 340,000 people prompting blogs from members of the public as far afield as the US.

The fortnight also saw the largest volunteer movement educating children about food set up with the event’s network of 9,000 chefs available to assist schools in teaching children how to cook. This initiative, combined with “Putting the Ooo back into food” education publications and Kenwood cooking equipment being awarded to the top six participating schools in each region, means that British Food Fortnight now provides all the resources schools need to teach children about food within the National Curriculum.

“British Food Fortnight’s initiative sending chefs into schools is an invaluable way of teaching the next generation and we have loved being a part of it,” said Dave Myers and Simon King, chefs who are better known as the BBC’s Hairy Bikers and who gave children at Wilson’s Endowed CofE. School, Lancashire a cooking lesson during British Food Fortnight.

Hundreds of schools participated inviting the chefs into the classrooms to give cookery lessons as well as visiting farms, allotments local butchers and greengrocers.

And five of the largest food service organisations, led by ARAMARK, four major pub groups, three of the main tourism organisations and the leading chef and catering associations put British food on thousands of menus in pubs, restaurants and hospitals as well as at staff restaurants in some of UK’s biggest organisations including Nationwide, BP, Boots and Barclays.

Nor did the supermarkets miss out with five of the largest multiples and all Budgens stores taking part. “Sales of the lines we featured during British Food Fortnight went up by hundreds of per cent,” said Les Rutherford, store manager at Budgens in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire.

Alexia Robinson, organiser of the event, said: “When British Food Fortnight started six years ago you had to search hard to find British food when you were shopping or eating out. Now - with more shops, pubs and restaurants than ever before taking part in the national promotion - British food is more accessible to consumers; and the success of the event’s education programme is laying the foundations for the next generation to make a conscious effort to buy it in years to come.

“The event is much more than a calendar date: it is a catalyst for long term action. Shops and restaurants that have enjoyed sales increases during the promotion will source British all-year-round and schools that have had fun taking part will make food a staple part of their curriculum activities in the future.”

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