Government Minister Caroline Spelman and hundreds of guests tucked into Staffordshire sausages, oat cakes, eggs and other food to celebrate farmhouse breakfast week.
A team of farming volunteers served up the breakfast to the Minister, school children, firefighters, police officers, teachers, villagers and other guests at Staffordshire County Showground today (Jan 27).
The Right Honourable Caroline Spelman, MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was welcomed to the event by Stafford town crier Peter Taunton.
The event, organised by Eunice Finney, of Staffordshire Rural Hub, with support from the National Farmers’ Union was part of the Farmhouse Breakfast Week campaign.
The annual Home Grown Cereals Authority, HGCA, campaign highlights the benefits of breakfast while showcasing a tremendous variety of locally-produced food.
NFU regional director John Mercer, Councillor Mark Winnington, Staffordshire County Council cabinet member for environment and assets, and Staffordshire County Council leader Philip Atkins were also at the event.
Mr Mercer said: “Farmhouse breakfasts are a great opportunity to reinforce the link between food and farming and a huge part of it is also education, especially teaching young people where their food comes from.
“We need to encourage shoppers to buy regional, seasonal food and showcase the quality produce that is available; this was endorsed by the Minister today.
“This event was a good opportunity to speak with her and meet members of the farming and rural community.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and would like to thank everyone who helped to make it such a success.”
Mrs Spelman was at the breakfast as the Government launched its Export Action Plan which is designed to open up new markets for UK exporters, especially small and medium sized food companies.
The Minister said the breakfast was “inspirational” and she thanked everyone who made the event such a success.
She said: “Part of my job is to go out and promote the really good quality of British food that you produce and today is an excellent example of that.
“Our Export Action Plan will help and the world doesn't know what it is missing, especially after I have tasted the quality products on offer here in Staffordshire.”
Mrs Finney said it was the ninth year of breakfasts she had organised and she was delighted with the event's success and popularity.
She said: “This has become an annual occasion when lots of people join us for breakfast and today the team of volunteers cooked more than 250 breakfasts.
“We had many more visitors attending this year to meet the Minister and I’m delighted she was able to come along.”
Breakfast ice cream, which had cereals as a main ingredient, was also on the menu after it was made especially for the event by Red Lion Farm, at Haughton.
Staffordshire University film and media students who have helped with the ‘Farmers on Film – Feeding the Olympic Dream’ campaign also went along.
More than 20 short videos were shown throughout the breakfast and the Minister presented awards to the students who produced the best films.
Guests also made donations to the Women’s Land Army Tribute Fund which aims to provide a lasting memorial at the National Arboretum, at Alrewas, Staffordshire, to commemorate the hard working and committed women who served on the land during the world wars.
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