Food for thought at the South of England Show!

10/06/2010

Student chefs have been cooking up a storm!

Visitors to this year's South of England Show will get the chance to learn more about their food, with a variety of stalls aiming to educate whilst tantalizing the taste-buds, on the National Farmers' Union (NFU) stand!

Trainee chefs from the College's Crawley campus will be demonstrating how to make quick and easy meals using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Cooks will use Sussex Gold rapeseed oil from farmer John Ford of Partridge Green, West Sussex. On the menu will be Applesham beef and lamb from the South Downs near Lancing, along with strawberry smoothies and Sussex cheeses.

East Sussex farmer Clarissa Hallings Pott, who chairs the NFU/South of England Agricultural Society committee behind the exhibit, says: "The theme of our exhibit this year is 'Food For Thought' and people can expect to find out the stories behind the food on our plates. On offer will be tastings of local food, especially freshly-baked bread and pizzas, and other simple summer dishes that feature produce from the stand. Among the highlights of our exhibit is the farmyard, complete with commercial breeds of livestock, a bee-keeping display, and commonly-grown crops."

The show, which runs from 10 to 12 June at Ardingly showground, will feature a range of stalls from local farmers, producers and retailers, showcasing the best that the South has to offer. Visitors can try their hand at butter-making, see rapeseed being crushed, have a go at milling wheat into flour, and try muesli making in 'the cereals story' area.