Food festival support organisation winding down after decade of success

THE organisation behind the Exmoor Food Festival and the emergence of Somerset as the number one local food county in the country is winding down its affairs after a decade of successful work.
Somerset Food Links has been offering support and advice to a growing number of small start-up food and drink producers since it was formed in 1999.
Now, the not-for-profit company will become dormant at the end of the financial year.
However, the infrastructure and intellectual assets of Somerset Food Links could be utilised by the food and drink sector if new funding streams became available.
The company has created a rich legacy of food and drink events and resources which stretch from one end of the county to the other.
Its achievements include setting up Somerset Farmers Markets Ltd, which now runs 16 farmers markets each month, in communities across the county. It also founded the annual food festivals on Exmoor, the Quantock Hills, in the Mendips, on the Blackdown Hills, and in South Somerset, as well as being integral in the formation of the Wellington Food Town project.
Other huge success stories for Somerset Food Links include:
Somerset Community Food, a charity educating people about growing and cooking food
Levels’ Best, now a premier landscape brand, for marketing quality food and drink produced from the Somerset Levels and Moors
Somerset Local Food Direct, a web-based food and drink home delivery service offering produce from more than 80 local producers
Somerset Food Links’ work has mainly been project based with an aim of creating sustainable organisations.
All of these enterprises are independent and are run by their own boards or members.
The three remaining employees of Somerset Food Links will be pursuing other interests.
Somerset Food Links managing director Andrew Moore said the decision to wind down the operation had been taken reluctantly and with sadness, but the board recognised the organisation needed a new focus and would not be able to achieve this in the current economic climate.
Mr Moore said he was extremely proud of Somerset Food Links past and present staff who were largely responsible for the organisation’s achievements.
He said: “There has been an enormous amount of goodwill from fellow food and drink producers, who we have all enjoyed working with, and have helped form the embryo of a network of businesses that produce some of the best products in the country.
“We are also very grateful to all the other individuals and organisations who have contributed to Somerset Food Links.
“In particular, we are grateful for the grant funds and sponsorship without which we would not have been able to achieve our outputs.
“They include councillors and officers of Somerset County Council, the five district councils in Somerset, Natural England, The National Trust, and in particular Exmoor National Park Authority, which facilitated much important work on Exmoor.”
Somerset Food Links deputy director, Elaine Spencer-White said: “A measure of the resounding success of Somerset Food Links is the fact that during our 10 years we have seen the number of recognised food and drink producers in Somerset more than double.
“Somerset’s food and drink producers produce a fantastic range of goods that is now more easily available to residents, which creates both direct and indirect employment as well as a healthier population.
“However, there is still much work which could be done if the funding was available as the food and drink sector is never static and there is still growth to be achieved and better infrastructure to be developed.
“If you look at the bigger picture of climate change and rising food prices around the world, then you appreciate that local food supplies need to be nurtured.
“They can play a substantial role in the economy of a rural county like Somerset by providing employment, improving the health of the population, and reducing food miles, which is good for the environment.”

Somerset was judged by UKTV Food to be the county with the greatest number of local food producers in 2007.

• Our photograph shows Somerset Food Links deputy director Elaine Spencer-White. Photo submitted.

Residents experience Indian restaurant’s innovation and authenticity

NEIGHBOURS and other residents in a Somerset market town have been given a preview of an innovative new Indian restaurant which has brought the authentic taste of the sub-continent to their doorsteps.
Moorkhana opened its doors in Wiveliscombe with a special preview party for local residents as a ‘thank you’ for their support in recent weeks, which included neighbours helping owners Mignon and Andrew Johnson clear up after a graffiti attack.
A formal opening event is still being planned for the family-friendly restaurant, which serves meals between 6 pm and 10 pm on Wednesdays to Saturdays and lunchtimes by prior arrangement.
The Moorkhana ethos is distinctive among Indian restaurants in the UK as its menu, which changes weekly, comprises entirely authentic dishes cooked just as they would be in most communities in India.
For instance, dishes are of mild to medium strength, and customers need to make a special request if they want them prepared any hotter.
Mignon, who is an Indian national, said: “True Indian food is not blisteringly hot, but has a range of exquisite flavours which are often lost when it is typically prepared in this country with too much spiciness.
“With Moorkhana, we are trying to dispel many of the myths about Indian food and educate our customers to better understand and enjoy what they are eating.
“We use authentic recipes which have been handed down through generations of my family, so this is how the food would taste if you were actually in India.”
Almost all of Moorkhana’s food products are organic and sourced as locally as possible, again just as they would be in India, including organic chicken from Chitcombe Farm, Huish Champflower, Thorne’s Butchers, Exmoor Ales, Cotleigh Brewery, The Wine Shed, and the organic co-operative Somerset Organic Link.
Moorkhana has already created several new jobs for the town, most of which have been filled by local people, and is also offering a training opportunity for a curry chef, of which there is a shortage in the UK.
The surrounding business community is also being supported through a function room which is available for local organisations, while each room is also used as a gallery to display paintings by local artists which are available to be purchased.
Moorkhana also operates an environmentally-friendly takeaway service, using stainless steel tiffins which customers retain and reuse each time they visit.
Moorkhana is the trading name of The Saffron Kitchen, which built a reputation across much of the Westcountry through farmers’ markets in towns such as Taunton, Wellington, Cotford St Luke, Minehead, Exeter, Crewkerne, and Glastonbury.
The business enjoys a five star environmental health rating which means it has an ‘excellent level of compliance’ with food safety regulations and is ‘highly confident in management of food safety’.
More information about the Moorkhana restaurant is available from Mignon and Andrew Johnson by telephoning 01984 623648 or by visiting the website www.thesaffronkitchen.co.uk.

• Our photograph shows Mignon Johnson (standing, centre) with some of the preview party guests, who included local BBC television reporter Clinton Rogers (standing, left) and former Kingsmead School head teacher Brian Collingridge (standing, right), who is now a parish councillor. Photo submitted.

Town crier to open new-look Watchet Esplanade

THE official opening of a new-look Watchet Esplanade will be celebrated on Saturday with a packed programme of events.
West Somerset Council secured £138,380 of European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) and more than £51,000 from the Somerset Rural Renaissance Partnership to enhance the area alongside one of West Somerset’s best-loved historic ports.
The enhancement project included infrastructure such as market stalls to enable the town to host local farmers and craft markets, new seating, audio/visual equipment, a refurbishment of the current shelters to include an information point, new paving in some areas, railings, lamps, curved benches, planters, and new tree plantings to boost the overall appearance.
District council chairman Councillor Jenny Hill, who is also a Watchet town councillor, said: “We are delighted with the project.
“It is now a really good area for tourists and the local community to enjoy.
“We are looking forward to the opening and to The Esplanade hosting a range of other events for the benefit of everybody.”
Town council chairman, Councillor David Banks, said: “The open day is essentially a community day where local organisations can take advantage of the enhanced facility.”
The celebrations start at 11.30 am with the cutting of a ceremonial ribbon by Alec Danby, who has served Watchet as town crier for 20 years.
A samba band, balloon modelling, the Rattlebox Theatre, Raventale Giants, and wandering clowns are also lined up to keep the crowds entertained for the afternoon.
Other activities will include a climbing wall, trampolines, hair braiding, and face painting, as well as a vintage car display and a variety of stalls on The Esplanade.
West Somerset Council’s acting head of paid service, Adrian Dyer, said: “It is great to see this project come to fruition and to see The Esplanade being enjoyed by local people.
“As well as providing new seating and renovating the shelters and paving, there is now provision for the town to host markets which will attract more visitors to this lovely, historic seaside town.”
A programme of events for the day is available from the Watchet Tourist Office or by emailing tourism@watchettowncouncil.org or telephoning 01984 632101.
The official opening celebrations will continue until 4.30 pm.

Indian food producer to open restaurant in market town

PLANNING permission has now been granted for award-winning Indian food producer Mignon Johnson to convert empty offices to a restaurant in Wiveliscombe.
The restaurant in Silver Street will be branded Moorkhana, which is the trading name of The Saffron Kitchen range of meals currently produced from Mignon’s home in Lydeard St Lawrence.
Work on converting the premises is due to start in the next few days and the restaurant is likely to be open by the beginning of May.
A special telephone number has been provided to local residents while the work is ongoing in case they need to raise any issues.
Mignon and her husband Andrew have already taken on some staff, but are still looking for more employees, especially kitchen assistants, cleaning staff, and waiting staff, whom they hope will be people who live locally.
The couple are keen to support the Wiveliscombe economy through generating new jobs, continuing to source local produce wherever possible, and bringing more visitors to the town
Samples of the food which can be eaten in the Moorkhana restaurant will be available at the Milverton Street Fair on bank holiday Monday, May 5, which Mignon and Andrew will be attending.
Moorkhana has recently also been awarded five stars under Taunton Deane Borough Council’s ‘scores on the doors’ scheme of inspecting food businesses, which means it is rated as having an ‘excellent level of compliance’ and being ‘highly confident in management of food safety’.
Mignon, who is an Indian national, said: “The Moorkhana restaurant is going to be very different from the type of Indian restaurant people have become used to in this country.
“All of our meals use family recipes which we cook ourselves and that means we will have a select menu and not the seemingly endless choices you find in some restaurants.
“It may surprise some people, for instance, to learn that there is no such dish as chicken tikka masala in India - it is something that has been created over here to suit English tastes.
“As well as serving authentic food just like you would find in India, we hope to educate customers about what they are eating to increase their enjoyment of the food and add value to their restaurant experience.
“Our market research shows we are likely to attract people from a large area of Somerset, so it means there are opportunities for other Wiveliscombe businesses to also benefit.”
Moorkhana will be a family-friendly restaurant where children will be welcome, and it also has a function room which can be used by local organisations. Customers will also be able to order takeaway dishes.
Moorkhana has built its reputation over the past few years by regularly attending farmers’ markets in Taunton, Wellington, Cotford St Luke, Minehead, Exeter, Crewkerne, and Glastonbury, and more recently by supplying select delicatessens.
Anybody who would like to work in the Moorkhana restaurant should contact Mignon and Andrew Johnson by telephoning 01984 656931 or emailing to enquiries@thesaffronkitchen.co.uk.
More information about Moorkhana and its range of Indian foods is available by visiting the websites www.thesaffronkitchen.co.uk and www.localfooddirect.co.uk.

• Our photograph shows Mignon and Andrew Johnson outside the offices they plan to convert into an Indian restaurant. Photo submitted.

Festive market brings Christmas trading boost to Dunster

TRADERS in Dunster are set to receive a seasonal boost when a festive farmers’ market is held in the beautiful surrounds of Dunster Castle on December 1 from 11 am to 3 pm.
More than 25 local producers taking part in the market will be offering everything from meat and fish to Indian cuisine and chocolates.
Visitors will be able to buy their Christmas puddings and cakes and stock up on warming cider brandy and exquisite local preserves.
There will be a chance to sample hot cider punch and homemade pastries and pies.
Afterwards, visitors can take a look around the grounds of Dunster Castle, visit the special National Trust Christmas Shop in the castle dining room, or wander into Dunster village to continue their Christmas shopping.
The market is being organised by the National Trust with support from Somerset Food Links.
It is the fourth year the popular festive market has been held.
Parking is available at the castle for £2, or a short walk away in the village.
There will also be an opportunity to book a guided tour of the castle halls for the annual ‘Deck the Halls’ event with demonstrations of garland and wreath making.
Advance booking is advisable on 01643 821314. Prices are £3 for adults and £1.50 for children.

• Our photograph shows Mignon and Andrew Johnson, who will be attending the festive farmers’ market with their range of Indian foods. Photo submitted.