Local produce has been given a massive thumbs up by hotel and restaurant owners in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
A new report has found that over 90% of the county’s caterers surveyed prefer to use local food – and most are even willing to pay more for it.
The study was carried out by Taste of the West, a non-profit company supporting food and drink businesses in the South West. Cornish Manager Carol Trewain told Scilly news: “This report shows that there is a strong commitment to using local produce among Cornish pubs, cafes, hotels and restaurants.”
Graham Shone, Head Chef at Bryher’s Hell Bay Hotel, prides himself on a menu based on local food. His popular local ingredients include Bryher strawberries, eggs from Bryher chickens, and lobster and crab caught on the Islands’ shores. The Hotel also uses beef from a herd reared on neighbouring Tresco.
The Star Castle on St Mary’s boasts of ‘fresh locally caught sea food and local produce and vegetables from our own kitchen garden.’
Head Chef Simon Shaw said, “I use anything I can get from the Islands plus fish from Newlyn. It’s good quality and more convenient because it doesn’t have to spend time in transit. I will and do pay more for local goods.”
He agreed with the report’s findings that visitors prefer to sample local foods.
But Carol Trewain feels local produce is not promoted strongly enough: “More proactive marketing of this good practice would earn more profits as we know that consumers and visitors are keen to support local producers wherever possible.”