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Local food and drink is great for business
There is growing interest in 'buying local' from consumers so offering local food and drink will give you an additional selling point and can make your guests’ experience more memorable.
As well as tasting great, local produce celebrates Yorkshire, and supports the local economy and environment.
Local food and drink can feature on the menus of the smallest B&B to the busiest hotel or restaurant.
Using local food and drink is also something you should promote to your customers. Highlight it on your website and menus. Tell your customers where and how products are produced and what’s special about them.
Deliciouslyorkshire Breakfast Scheme
You can also join the
deliciouslyorkshire Breakfast Scheme.
Open to all hospitality businesses, the deliciouslyorkshire breakfast scheme is for businesses committed to including at least five locally sourced ingredients on their breakfast menus.
Becoming a member is easy – all you need to do is source at least 5 ingredients on your breakfast menu from Yorkshire or within 5 miles of the county’s borders and provide copies of invoices with your application as evidence.
You can then use the Breakfast logo and benefit from additional exposure in the regional food guide 'Yorkshire’s Own Kitchen' and on
Yorkshire.com.
What is 'local' food and drink?
While there is no legal definition of 'local' food, consumer research shows that people expect local food to come from the immediate county or from a 30 mile radius. Just as important is being able to tell customers where their food and drink is produced, and how.
Local food may be very traditional fare, such as Yorkshire rhubarb, York ham and Wensleydale cheese, which have been produced in Yorkshire for centuries. But local food also refers to fruit, vegetables and meat which may be simply produced close to where you are located or grow yourself.
For goods that can’t be grown locally, such as tea or coffee, consider using Fair Trade certified products. Fair Trade products mean the producers have received a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production, plus an extra premium that is invested in social or economic development projects.
Taylor’s of Harrogate/Yorkshire Tea, for example, has a robust Sustainable Sourcing Programme and are also committed to save 1.5 million hectares of rainforest – an area the size of Yorkshire – from destruction.
What is local to Yorkshire?
Yorkshire boasts a culture rich in food and drink. The spectacular countryside of the Dales, Moors and Wolds, coupled with the region's breathtaking coastline provide the backdrop to the production of some of the nation's most popular and well known products.
Cheese, lamb, beef, pork, ham, baked goods, pies, fish and chocolate are just some of our historic culinary strengths. These are complemented by an ever increasing use of innovation which ensures Yorkshire is leading the way when it comes to producing high quality, value for money, local fare.
Our producers are truly passionate about what they do and as more and more people want to know where their food is from and turn to locally-sourced in-season produce, the deliciouslyorkshire campaigning brand tells consumers at a glance that the produce they are buying is local, seasonal, fresh and has full traceability. Found in supermarkets and independent grocers, as well as farm shops and online, the deliciouslyorkshire brand is a celebration of all things food and drink in Yorkshire.
How to source local food and drink