English food goes on all Stoneleigh menus
The Royal Agricultural Society of England and its subsidiary, Stoneleigh Park Ltd, have signed deals with all their key food suppliers to ensure that English food is on offer to the million-plus visitors a year that attend events on the showground.
The deals span everything from Yorkshire ice cream to home-reared beef and poultry and the finest English beers. It will include fast food in the mobile retail units as well as fine food at all Society events.
"We have always gone out of our way to source English food for the showground," explained RASE Chief Executive, John Moverley. "These contracts underwrite that ambition and will ensure that all our visitors can be assured not only of the best quality food we can buy but that they are supporting English farmers through their visits to Stoneleigh Park and its events, including the Royal Show, European Pig and Poultry Fair and the Grassland Event. The deal also covers the scores of other events for which the showground is an increasingly popular venue."
Contracts with key suppliers were signed this week by Royal Show Director, Simon Frere-Cook and Stoneleigh Park Ltd Director, David Barratt.
"These deals secure millions of pounds worth of business for our suppliers and in turn, they can guarantee that the cash will flow back down the line to English farmers. That is exactly the message of support for the industry that the RASE should be sending to the industry," said Mr Frere-Cook.
Primary showground caterer, Aubrey Allen, was one of the first companies to sign up.
"This is a great deal for our business, for the RASE and for English farmers," said Mike Ferran of Aubrey Allen. "We will be featuring English food in all the showground restaurants, introducing new menu ideas and supporting English farmers – what could be better than that? We also have a special arrangement with Caldecott Turkey Farms and this deal secures a market for their produce as well.""
Sales of burgers and other fast food from all mobile units are covered in the deal which will mean thousands of British beef burgers being sourced by Richard Smith, Managing Director of Main Event Catering.
"This is good news for British producers. Our products use up the less valuable cuts but that all helps add value to British beef carcasses," said Richard
James Shaw of Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream said his company was delighted to be part of the Royal Showground offer.
"Farming is our background and our passion and we are proud to run a business which enables us to be close to the farming and countryside community where we make our ice cream. The Royal Show is the pinnacle of the agricultural show calendar and so obviously we are delighted to trade there
Neville Symonds of Event Bars has signed up to continuing a service of providing quality British beer for show-goers stretching back some 30 years.
"We are proud to have supported the Royal Show for the last 30 years and delighted to renew our undertaking to provide top-quality British beer to visitors at this most prestigious of all the agricultural shows. Our loyalty has established excellent working relationships over this period. May this continue in the future," said Mr Symonds.
