News archive
Food and Craft Hall Unveiled - 21 November 2005
An exciting and unique new outlet showcasing the very best of the region's food, arts and crafts opened to the public 
on 21 November.
The Cornish family business Kingsley's is behind the ambitious, multi million pound development - Kingsley Village, Food and Craft Hall - which is conveniently situated just off the A30, at Fraddon. The outlet will be a massive boost for farmers, food and drink producers and crafts businesses across Cornwall.
The project cost nearly £4 million of which £650,000 of investment came from the Objective One European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantees Fund (EAGGF) and the same amount from Defra.
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership, said: "This development will house the best of Cornish produce under one roof and will attract business from across the region. It will mean a significant increase in orders for many of Cornwall's farmers and producers, guaranteeing them year round business."
As well as the food and craft halls there is a huge gallery featuring local artists, exhibition space, a conference room that can be split in two and a restaurant/coffee shop serving Cornish and regional foods. The 7,000 square feet food hall will house a butcher, fishmonger, cheesemonger, delicatessen, greengrocer, bakery, wine and beer section and a wide variety of pickles, chutneys, sauces, preserves and so on will be on sale.
For further information please visit their website or contact Clare Morgan of the Objective One Communications Team on 01872 223439 or 07973 813647 or by email at cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk.
Stables go Online - June 2005
Horse owners in South Yorkshire can now monitor their horses 24 hours a day from around the world, thanks to a farm diversification project in Tickhill. Anna and David Brookfield provide horse livery at Stoney Brigg Stables at their farm near Doncaster. Having built the business from scratch they incorporated online CCTV in the stables and outdoor areas so that horse owners could check on their horses on the Internet from their home, workplace or even when on holiday.
The project was supported by £19,700 from the Rural Business Growth Programme, funded by Europe and Defra and managed by Business Link South Yorkshire. "Diversification projects are key to farmers to stay in business so we needed to be enterprising in order to keep ahead", said David Brookfield. "We listened to what horse owners would want on their perfect yard and that's what we have tried to provide." The Brookfield's plan to further expand their business by building a two-mile off road riding course.
- Further information or contact Richard Holmes on 01709 763618
Organic South West - Cooking Up An Organic Feast at Cornwall Show - June 2005
The South West has the highest percentage of organic farmers and producers in the country. Some of these are Carleys of Truro and Barwick Farm who explained to visitors how organic food is produced and tasted some samples.
Barwick Farm Organic Dairy Products
Barwick Farm is Cornwall’s first organic processing diary, which allows the farm to sell their own milk, cream, clotted cream and butter direct from the farm.
The milk is pasteurised, but not homogenised so that the thick rich cream always rises to the top. The farm has received the Organic Food Awards 2003, were finalists in the Rural Progress Farm Diversification Awards 2004 and runners-up in the Southwest Area Farm Diversification Awards 2004.
This was organised by Organic South West, a Soil Association project dedicated to promoting organic food and farming in Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly.
The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Organic South West with finance from the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and Defra.
- Further information or contact Traci Lewis on 07870 268654
Organic Herb Pack Launch at Cornwall Show - June 2005
New ranges of organic culinary and medicinal potted herbs made their first appearance at the Royal Cornwall Show. West Country Organic Herbs, based at Coads Green near Launceston, have designed five different packs each containing six varieties of fresh herbs for people to grow at home.
The herb packs comes with their own uniquely designed mini greenhouses so it is easy for people to keep the plants on a window sill where they should last for two or three months.
The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Organic South West with the support of the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund and Defra.
- Further information or contact Traci Lewis on 07870 268654
Expansion Hopes for Green Tourism - June 2005
A successful green tourism initiative is looking to expand by creating an exciting mountain bike centre on the edge of Newquay. The business behind the scheme, greenleisure.co.uk was established four and half years ago with support from the Objective One EAGGF (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund) and Defra. This project is designed to create a new and exciting focal point for mountain biking in Cornwall, offering a combination of top quality mountain bikes for hire, related accessories and professional instruction.
- Further information or contact Emma Lydon, of actnow on 01209 722850
Lift Off for Housing Initiative - June 2005
A major national scheme aimed at both helping new-comers to agriculture and assisting people who work on the land and want to retire was launched at the Royal Cornwall show, when ARC (Affordable Rural Housing Scheme) Addington Fund charity held a special evening reception.
The first development in the charity’s new Affordable Housing Scheme is at Trevorva near Probus, in central Cornwall.
The ARC Addington Fund is part financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and Defra.
- Further information or contact Elizabeth Menmuir on 01872 322810
Grassland Challenge - June 2005
The Grassland Challenge Project had their second annual demonstration day on Tuesday 21st June at Duchy College, Stoke Climsland. During the demonstration day attendees looked at how to grow maize to be cross compliant, the options surrounding growing alternative protein crops and how GPS guidance systems can save money and time for the livestock farmer.
Grassland Challenge is a partnership project led by Duchy College on behalf of the Cornish Grassland Societies in association with the Institute of Grassland & Environmental Research (IGER). It aims to improve the competitiveness of grassland and forage producers in Cornwall through technology transfer and dissemination of best practice.
The project is part funded by the European Guidance & Agricultural Fund (EAGGF) and Defra, and through sponsorship from the private sector.
- Further information or contact Hazel Burton of Grassland Challenge on 01579 372295
Taste of the West - Beyond The Food and Farming Pavilion - May 2005
At the Royal Cornwall Show, the food and farming pavilion is always one of the most popular displays, with the best of Cornish food, drink and fresh produce for show goers to try and buy.
This year a large plasma screen, showcased the website (www.foodfromcornwall.co.uk), which has comprehensive listings of Cornish produce, online ordering and links to individual producers.
Angie Coombs, of Cornwall Taste of the West cites Boddingtons’s berries as an excellent example of a Cornish food business that has invested in its website and is reaping broad benefits as a result. Their current website, www.boddingtonsberries.co.uk, was established three years ago and is being developed and expanded year on year.
“The website provides an essential window on the business for a whole range of customers and partners. It will continue to grow and develop, hopefully this year incorporating a new ‘year of the strawberry’ feature."
Phil Boddington
The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Cornwall Taste of the West through the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund (EAGGF).
- Further information or contact Veronica Newport on 01363 866927
Lower Norton Farm Kennels & Cattery - May 2005
A new five star kennelling facility which boards up to 25 dogs and 20 cats is preparing to open its doors, thanks to enterprising sheep farmers Richard and Barbara Bennett. Lower Norton Farm Kennels & Cattery is a farm diversification scheme, near Stoke Climsland.
The Bennett’s lost their herd of 700 sheep during the Foot and Mouth outbreak back in 2001. It was at this point they decided to diversify to ensure their livelihood on the farm was more sustainable.
The project was supported under the Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Rural Diversification Capital Grant Initiative, funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and Defra.
- Further information or contact Carolyn Daw of The Marketing-PR Company Limited on 01566 771863
The only pig abattoir and processing company in region brings home the bacon - May 2005
In the late 1990s the Uglows, who produce pigs at Whitstone in North Cornwall, moved into a small unit on a local industrial estate, planning to process pigs reared on their farm into pork, bacon, ham and sausages. Within two years the demand for Cornish Farmhouse Bacon Company’s products had grown so fast that the business had outgrown the premises.
The company has won a number of awards including in 2003, the Taste of the West award for the best meat product, won by the company’s beech smoke bacon.
The project was supported under the Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Rural Diversification Capital Grant Initiative, funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and Defra.
- Further information or contact Carolyn Daw of The Marketing-PR Company Limited on 01566 771863
Full steam ahead for Cornwall Food and Drink Festival - May 2005
Organisers of the 2005 Cornwall Food and Drink Festival are aiming to establish it as one of the region’s top culinary events, just one year after it was first staged. The festival dates have been confirmed as 30 September to 2 October to be held at the Truro’s Lemon Quay, and a ‘who’s who’ list of Cornish chef’s is already committed to taking part.
The festival was first staged in October 2004 with huge success, attracting more than 5,000 people over two days. Highlights included the spectacle of food theatre with top Cornish chefs, fish filleting demonstrations and daily fresh fish auction.
Steve Whittingham of Fodders Restaurant in Truro is once again leading the organisation of the 2005 event, with support from sponsors Cornwall Taste of the West and Inside Cornwall magazine.
The Cornwall Food and Drink Festival now hopes to join the ranks of the region’s top food events like the Exeter Food and Drink Festival and Plymouth’s FlavourFest. The Festival’s food marquee is already taking bookings from would-be exhibitors and its demonstration kitchen is set to be busy with chefs such as Ben Tunnicliffe, Kevin Viner, Nick Barclay, Nathan Outlaw and Nigel Tabb already confirmed on the food theatre front.
The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Cornwall Taste of the West through the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund (EAGGF)
- Further information or contact Veronica Newport on 01363 866927
Cornish Organic fudge launched at the London Food fair - April 2005
Cornish ice cream producers, Roskillys from The Lizard, South Cornwall, launched a certified organic clotted cream fudge at the Natural and Organic Products show at Olympia on the 17th and 18th April. This is their first branded organic product and has been developed with funding from Organic South West. Organic South West is a Soil Association managed product, which is part, funded by Defra and the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund (EAGGF) under the Objective 1 programme.
Roskillys’ were the winners of BBC Radio 4s food Programme’s ‘Best Food Producers 2004’; Roskillys’ also plan to extend their organic credentials by producing a range of certified ice creams by the end of the summer.
Glendurgan Increases Support of Local Producers - April 2005
Glendurgan is one of Cornwall’s best spring gardens. The valley garden is popular with children and families as it has a large maze and a beach.
On Friday 15 April the National Trust celebrated the completion of a project at Glendurgan, near Falmouth to up-grade the tearoom and increase the Trust’s support of local producers, with the garden’s first Producer’s Day.
The project was undertaken with investment from Objective One through the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and Defra. The tearoom, introduced in 1995, has always served a variety of local produce. The National Trust has extended the kitchen and other facilities and thereby doubled the number of local producers that supply the catering outlet.
The National Trust is very excited about the Producer’s Day at Glendurgan – the first of many in the garden, to enable local producers to talk to members of the public about their produce and visitors to sample their goods.
The Eden Project and Sharp’s Brewery launch of Eden Pure Ale - April 2005
The Eden Project and Sharp’s Brewery launched Eden Pure Ale, forging the first partnership of its kind for both companies. Eden is all about conveying the stories behind plants and the vital relationship we have with them and Eden Pure Ale hits the spot in helping to tell the stories.
Eden Pure Ale is made from simple and natural ingredients malt, yeast, water hops and is totally free from additives, such as flavour concentrates and sugar. “The aroma of Eden Pure ale is dominated largely by hops and complicated by a light fruit fragrance. When tasted, the hops are the centrepiece with hint of malty sweeteners. The finish is dry and hoppy, stimulating and refreshing the palate”.
Objective 1 programme and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) fund the project
Skiing aid from farm diversification - February 2005
An invention developed by a South Yorkshire farmer is set to hit the slopes of ski resorts around the world. Portaski is the brainchild of Mike Johnston and came out of a farm diversification project assisted by the Rural Business Growth Programme, funded by the European Union and Defra and run by Business Link South Yorkshire.
The compact Portaski device fits neatly to skis allowing the skier to easily transport their equipment to and from the slopes.
Business Link helped Mike Johnston through the design, production and patent stages of the project, and helped source south Yorkshire manufactures.
Objective 1 funded South Yorkshire International Trade Centre also helped developed the project, launched at Soltex – the national ski equipment exhibition, in Manchester on 20-23 February 2005.
Riviera named in top 100 – 6 January 2005
A firm which was helped expand by Objective One investment is celebrating its listing in a national newspaper’s Fast Track Top 100. Fast Track 100 ranks Britain's hundred fastest growing unquoted companies by 2000-2003 sales growth. The eighth annual Fast Track 100 was published in The Sunday Times in December, and Riviera Produce came in at number 75.
Riviera Produce and its sister company PE Simmons and Son are one of Cornwall’s leading packer / producers of Cornish fruit and vegetables for the UK retail, processing and wholesale markets, sourcing over one million trays of produce all year round from local farms and its own 2,500-acre family run estate. Riviera Produce sales have risen 75% a year from an annualised £1.3 million in 2000 to £6.8 million in 2003.
Riviera Produce benefited from £88,000 of Objective One investment from the EAGGF (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund), with match funding coming from the Department of Food, Environment & Rural Affairs, to invest £439,000 into the development of a state-of-the-art production site, at Hayle.
For further information please contact the Objective One Communications Team, Tel: 01872 223439, or email: cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk
Deliciouslyorkshire food Festival Tastes Success - 13/14 November 2004
More than 10,000 people attended the two-day Deliciouslyorkshire food and drink festival held at Doncaster Racecourse on 13th and 14th November, to celebrate the quality and diversity of produce in South Yorkshire.
Mayor Martin Winter took part in a cookery demonstration with celebrity chef James Martin who was a great crowd draw, with all his cookery demonstrations being sold out.
Mayor Martin Winter said, “The Deliciouslyorkshire Festival has been a resounding success, that he is delighted to announce that Doncaster will be home to an even bigger and better show this year”.
Dates for 2005 are 8th and 9th October.Objective 1 supported the event through its support for food and tourism.
"Fresh start" - 2 November 2004
"Fresh start" was launched at London's Smithfield show, an industry-led initiative in England aimed at securing a sustainable future for farming by attracting fresh, dynamic and innovative people into the industry, whilst prompting others to think about options for the future of their business. A parallel 'Fresh Start initiative is being launched in Cornwall by the Cornwall Agricultural Council, with funding from Defra and the European Union under the Objective One EAGGF programme. This will include the key elements of the national Fresh Start initiative, and it is hoped that lessons can be learned from the Cornwall experience to inform development of the national initiative.
Rural Business Growth Programme - 3 August 2004
With the help of Business Link South Yorkshire's Rural Business Growth Programme, funded by the EU and Defra under the Objective One EAGGF programme, Elaine and Nigel Sharp set up an Alpaca farm in the Mayfield Valley, near Sheffield.
Page last modified:
1 November, 2007
Page published: 13 December, 2004