Held at the Broomhill Arts Hotel outside Barnstaple on Tuesday 23rd February, Food & Drink Devon hosted a North Devon Event to showcase and engage with North Devon businesses.  Working closely with the North Devon Marketing Bureau and North Devon +, Food & Drink Devon's event, the first of its kind, took place to promote the work of Food & Drink Devon and what it can bring to the area.  The networking evening was attended by a range of North Devon businesses including producers, hotels and restaurants.  

Following the launch of its new website, Food & Drink Devon is now getting out on the road, shouting about the county's passionate producers.  Commenting on the event, Noel Corston, chef patron of NC@EX34 in Woolacombe and board member of Food & Drink Devon, says: “The different areas of Devon have long been celebrated for their food and drink excellence.  The next step is to continue this fantastic work and to unite Devon as one in order to further raise the region's culinary profile.” Noel continues: “Food & Drink Devon provides the perfect vessel through which we can all co-ordinate countywide to realise this vision. The time has come to showcase Devon as a county where the use of fantastic quality, seasonal, local produce is standard.”

Food & Drink Devon is the county's only dedicated membership organisation supporting quality, provenance, sustainability and trading across the food and drink sector.  With over 250 Devon-based members, including cookery schools, hotels, speciality retailers and farmers markets. Food & Drink Devon was founded with the aim of representing like-minded businesses dedicated to producing food and drink of the very highest quality.

The Food & Drink Devon board, a high profile group of talent from across the sector including volunteer director Chris Jones, managing director of Exeter Golf and Country Club, vice-chairman Gabriel David, founder and chairman of Luscombe Drinks and Barbara King, managing director of The Shops at Dartington, all contribute their time and expertise to the organisation on a voluntary basis. 

For more information, please visit www.lovetheflavour.co.uk and follow @lovetheflavour on Twitter.

-ENDS-

For further information, photography or an interview with Michael Smith, chairman of Food & Drink Devon, please contact:

Hayley Reynolds at RAW PR and Marketing - hayley@rawprandmarketing.co.uk;

Harriet Fitzgerald-Allsopp at RAW PR and Marketing – harriet@rawprandmarketing.co.uk 

Telephone: 01548 550 429

Twitter: @HayleyJReynolds / @RawSW