Children to Help Cook Sunday Roast at Festival

Families will be shown how to cook a traditional Sunday roast at a food and drink festival this month, then encouraged to go home and try it themselves.

As part of the Year of Food and Farming, schoolchildren will help produce the traditional Sunday meal with The Well Hung Meat Company.

The South Devon organic meat retailer has announced it will return to the successful Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink, now in its fifth year. It will be promoting its monthly meat box scheme and cold meat sales of its award-winning produce.

The highlight of the event will be production manager Julian Hodge taking part in the Food is Fun Marquee Roast.

This was created by Food from Britain and Taste of the West as part of the Year of Food and Farming initiative to reconnect children with locally grown produce. It aims to encourage families to cook a traditional Sunday lunch using local ingredients.

Chef Ron Hedicker will stage a Sunday lunch cookery demonstration, working with four children from a local school to cook a Sunday roast in front of a live audience.

The Well Hung Meat Company will provide organic lamb and Mr Hodge will give a butchery demonstration and discuss the importance of sourcing good quality local meat.

Alex Harris, Food is Fun Marquee organiser. said: "This has been a great opportunity to communicate with schoolchildren on how important it is to sit down to a family meal at least once a week and to use local, organic produce whenever possible.

"Everyone who is involved in this project has embraced the idea and willingly given their time to help get the message over.

"It’s great to know that the children are looking forward to getting stuck in on Sunday, and I’m sure it’s going to be really great fun."

The organisers are also producing a Sunday Roast recipe card, so those at the show can go home to recreate the dishes they have sampled.

The Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink will be held at Northernhay Gardens in central Exeter from Friday to Sunday. Further information is available at www.visitsouthwest. co.uk/ exeterfoodfestival/index.cfm

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