Dartmoor Farmers in the Spotlight

15th November 2011

Categories: Latest News

The very best regional food and drink products, producers and retail and hospitality establishments were honoured on Tuesday, 1st November at the prestigious final ceremony of the Taste of the West Awards 2011, sponsored by Waitrose. 

Held at the Eden Project, Cornwall, in the Mediterranean Biome, the well-known broadcaster, journalist and food and drink critic, Nigel Barden presented a total of 30 awards including the coveted Champion Product Award.

Dartmoor Farmers were honoured to receive the “Best of Meat and Poultry Award” for their Sirloin of beef roasting Joint which was featured in the main course of the presentation lunch. This is the second consecutive time they have been presented with this award having won the category with their “Two boned Rack of Lamb “in 2010.

  The” Champion Product Award “went to Dartmoor Farmers of Devon for their Sirloin of Beef Roasting Joint. Judge Rick Stein said, “This product is exactly what West Country food should be all about. Outstanding flavour, beautifully well hung and clearly great expertise has gone into producing such a wonderful piece of meat.”

 The Dartmoor Farmers Association in Devon secured the “Carol Trewin South West Producer of the Year Award”, sponsored by Mole Valley. The judges confirmed that choosing the winner of this category was particularly difficult due to the outstanding calibre of the finalists. On choosing Dartmoor Farmers, the judges said, “The winner provides us all with huge inspiration for what can be achieved and is a great innovative business model, with impressive reach and influence. They have far reaching goals and achievements – the benefits of which will be felt for years. They have worked together to solve what many have long thought was an insolvable problem – how to manage sustainably one of the region’s finest jewels of the countryside by adding value to their primary product. It was a cracking entry!”

John Sheaves, Chief Executive of Taste of the West, said, “What has shone through this year in particular has been the standard of the winning products or establishments. Judge after judge has gone out of their way to tell me that their job had been made much harder this year. This is exactly the response that we were looking for during these difficult economic times. One thing will prevail in such competitive trading conditions and that’s excellence. It therefore bodes well for the region for the future and underlines our message that a food culture based on quality is a sustainable one. Well done to all the winners.”

In recent months Dartmoor Farmers Association members have combined their roles as hill farmers with that of film and TV stars. Programmes and films featuring Dartmoor farmers are to be released over the next few months, dates are given where known.

"Three hungry Boys"

Channel 4 during November and December 2011

You may have heard of the Three Hungry Boys. Last year they were set a challenge by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall to travel around Scotland for a month. As they had no money, they had to work, barter and gather all their food from the land. This summer they have been going one better with another challenge from Hugh; to travel through the West Country powered by nothing but renewable energy. The challenge has been completed (and they did a pretty good job as it turned out.) Follow the "Three Hungry Boys" on Channel 4 during November and December. Watch out for Dartmoor Farmers Association Chairman Phil Coaker hosting a programme at Runnage Farm.

"Matt and Allegra's Big Farm"

Sky Channel 249 Starts Sunday 23rd Oct @ 9pm and every night the following week, repeated at 11.30pm

"Matt and Allegra's Big Farm" is a 10 part series presented by former England rugby star Matt Dawson and chef Allegra McEvedy MBE. The programme will premiere on UKTV's Good Food Channel this autumn then will debut to Freeview audiences on UKTV'S entertainment channel, Dave, shortly afterwards. Each episode will follow Matt and Allegra as they visit farms around Britain sourcing high quality ingredients to create the ultimate feast. Dartmoor Farmers Association members Phil and Mandy Heard hosted Matt and Allegra at their Meldon farm during the summer. Matt and Allegra's Big Farm is due on air from 23rd October.

"Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers"

BBC1Friday 28th October @7.30, Repeated on Sat 29th Oct at 11.30am (Catch up on iPlayer)

Nigel Slater is a cook who writes. He has been a food columnist for the Observer for eighteen years and is presenter of BBC1's "Simply Cooking". His food is understated, handcrafted home cooking that is easy to accomplish and without a trace of what he affectionally calls ‘celebrity cheffery'. He is not fond of fussy food and prefers simple suppers made with care and thought. Nigel's autumn series "Simple Suppers" features the Cole family who farm at Yelverton. The "Born and Bred" programme follows Mat and Neil as they tend to Galloway Cattle and Scotch Ewes on the farm adjacent to Dartmoor Prison. Both farmers turn BBQ chefs as they cook off lamb and beef steaks back at the farm. Nigel creates a "Winter salad" using a cold brisket joint also from one of the Greenwell herd. Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers is due for release in the next few weeks.

"War Horse"

Released in the UK on January 13th 2012.

War Horse is directed by Steven Spielberg and is based on a children's novel set in World War One by Michael Morpurgo.

Filming on Dartmoor started in August 2010. Locations included the villages of Meavy and Widecombe in the Moor. Ditsworthy Warren house is an isolated Grade 2 listed building near Sheepstor and served as the Narracott family's farmhouse

Spielberg praised the beauty of the Dartmoor countryside " I have never before, in my long eclectic career, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty as I experienced filming War Horse.....And with two and a half weeks of extensive coverage of landscapes and skies I hardly scratched the surface of the visual opportunities that were offered to me."

Sharp eyed locals may recognise "shepherd extras" Mat and Neil Cole herding their White Faced Dartmoor sheep across the War Horse film set.

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