Taste of Angus Food Charter Launches

Published

29th August 2017

An exciting new local food campaign, the Taste of Angus Food Charter, is set to transform local food culture. Launched at the Taste Angus Festival at Glamis at the weekend, this scheme aims to promote the use of local food and will encourage businesses, community groups and individuals to buy, sell, grow, cook and eat the world class produce available on their door step. The idea is simple – anyone can visit the campaign website and make a ‘pledge’ to support local food. This pledge is then available for everyone to see, and those who make a pledge will receive a certificate and promotional material so they can tell others about it.

“This campaign is the first of its kind in Scotland”, said Hilary Tasker from Taste of Angus. “There are other local provenance schemes but they can be rather inflexible which might not suit some businesses. With the Taste of Angus Food Charter, anyone can contribute as long as they make some commitment to supporting local food which fits with the objectives of the scheme. One of the main benefits of this scheme is that anyone can join – so for example a restaurant could say that it will ensure that all of its meat is sourced locally, and an individual could pledge to grow their own vegetables on an allotment. We just want to encourage everyone to engage more with local food, which will in turn boost the local economy and reduce food miles.”

As part of the scheme Taste of Angus has appointed its first local Food Ambassadors, Adam Newth, head chef at Tayberry in Broughty Ferry, and Kinnettles Castle near Forfar; Martyn Moore, owner of Hamish’s Hogs and M&Gs on the Road; Jillian McEwan, owner of Fresh Food Express, an online local produce retailer; and Kim Cameron, owner of Kirriemuir based drinks company Gin Bothy. Jillian, who also Chairs The Food Life (a collective of local food businesses committed to ensuring good food for all) said, “Angus produce is so unique as we have a rare combination of culinary heritage with modern day food and drink innovation. Not only does Angus offer iconic traditional foods such as Arbroath Smokies, Aberdeen Angus Beef and Forfar Bridies, we are also pioneers in producing world class soft fruits, drinks, seafood and vegetables including asparagus and potatoes. Our exceptional natural larder is mainly due to our unique land and sea environment and the fishing and farming communities that are guardians of it. Our region is a hotbed of new talent, too, with novel food and drink enterprises breaking boundaries in sectors such as soft drinks, craft beers, sprits and coffee roasting, plus our ever-growing street food scene. The Taste of Angus Food Charter will celebrate this excellence in local food and drink, and enable residents and visitors to become more connected with the food they eat.”

Kim Cameron said, “As a rural producer we have such an abundance of amazing quality on our doorstep. Local collaborations allow us to work with some of the finest ingredients grown here in Angus - we use fresh raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, blueberries and sloe berries to name a few! We couldn't have grown as a brand without the support of our local customers, farmers market and restaurants promoting their local gin so the Charter is a way of acknowledging that.”

To find out more about the Taste of Angus Food Charter, and to make your pledge, visit www.businessangus.com/taste

Angus Council

Angus Council works to create strong secure communities, an enterprising workforce, and sustainable development over the range of public services for which it has responsibility. We are a customer and citizen focused organisation and work to deliver accessible, effective and efficient services for the county\'s population.

Back to news