Selaine Saxby MP alongside Ian Lidell-Grainger, MP for West Somerset, has hosted range of Exmoor’s finest food, drink and artisan craft producers at an event in parliament.
The Taste of Exmoor event was held today in the Houses of Parliament, 15 exhibitors brought a range of local Exmoor goods for ministers, MPs and Peers to sample. The event was an opportunity to promote and celebrate the very best of Exmoor’s many artisan suppliers.
Visit Exmoor helped to organise the event and attended to promote Exmoor as a visitor destination. Alongside the excellent produce they advertised the National park’s walking routes, dark skies, wildlife spotting opportunities, and more exhilarating activities.
The event was also an opportunity to highlight some of the key challenges the area is currently experiencing, with businesses being hampered by ongoing recruitment issues, particularly in hospitality, threatening the services offered to visitors. Attention was also drawn to social mobility issues in the area as well as rural and logistical issues, housing, and transportation, which require creative solutions.
Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, said:
“Exmoor has it all, and I am delighted to be able to help bring some of the fantastic food and drink produced and sourced here, to Westminster. Exmoor’s finest produce is locally sourced and produced in an environmentally and economically sustainable way. I know many of my parliamentary colleagues enjoyed attending the event and tasting the best of Exmoor.
“Thank you to all the businesses which attended, it is a long way to come and I appreciate it took a lot of preparation. Thank you also to Great Western Rail for supporting the event and enabling so many Exmoor businesses to attend.”
CEO for Visit Exmoor Emma Thomasson said:
“We are so excited to be bringing Exmoor to Westminster and showcasing our unique landscape, amazing produce, local businesses, and warm welcome. Exmoor is proud to sit across Somerset and Devon and we really appreciate Selaine and Ian working together across two constituencies to make this happen and bring focus to some of our key challenges and opportunities.
“This event also highlights just how easy it is to get from London to Exmoor via rail and motivate new visitors to the area – in just a few hours you can be enjoying everything we have to offer!”
Being showcased at the Taste of Exmoor event are the following Exmoor producers: Grown Up Marshmallows, Cocoa’s Handmade Chocolates, Exmoor Fudge Kitchen, Exmoor Ales, Exmoor Distillery Ltd, Wicked Wolf Gin, Wellhayes Vineyard, Exmoor Tea Co., Higher Hall Farm, British Alpaca Fashion, Croft and Cottage, Exmoor Feasting Company, West Country Blacksmiths, Miles Tea & Coffee, Cracking Nuts, West Ilkerton Farm and Exmoor Hill Farming.
Ministers who attended the event include, Rebecca Pow Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience, Trudy Harrison Minister for Natural Environment and Land Use, Guy Opperman Minister for Employment and Mims Davies Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression.
