Countdown to the big night

the Love Local Trust

When the Love Local Trust Local (LLTL) journey began in 2018, it was because I was so fed up with hearing visitors at our Open Farm Sunday say they wanted to support the British farmer – but didn’t know who to trust any more. This was the time of some food mislabelling scandals, alongside the story that fake farms were appearing on ‘own brand’ products on supermarkets shelves. Some supermarkets have faced legal challenges over the practice. Cheap imported meats were – and still are – coming into our country labelled with the Union flag because the item has been re-packaged or processed in the UK, not grown or reared here. It’s all so misleading. We British farmers need to stand up, get ourselves heard and explain the important facts about farming and food production to the general public and the people eating these foods.

Hairy Bikers

The new series of The Hairy Bikers Go Local has become an unexpected ambassador for everything our LLTL food label and movement stands for. The series is all about what is grown and produced locally in each county around the UK, helping viewers understand what comes from which part of the UK and at what time of

Awards

year. This is something LLTL have talked about before. The series is also highlighting the importance of trusting local businesses producing excellent food and drink close to where you live. Music to our ears! One of the key objectives of LLTL has always been to help tell the stories of local Dorset food and drink businesses, letting people know where they are and how to buy their products. Social media has been terrific for spreading the word of what our hardworking Dorset producers are doing.

Roll on awards night!

During the 2022 judging, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing so many wonderful stories. I’m still meeting fantastic new producers and learning from them. We will be celebrating their achievements on Thursday 9th February with a gala dinner at Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester.

I would like to thank all our sponsors – especially Laura and Courtenay at The BV, who have been supporting LLTL from the very beginning. Next month we will be showcasing the award winners and in the months to come we are delighted to be sharing their stories.