COTSWOLD TASTE FIRST EVENT COOKS UP A TREAT!

COTSWOLD TASTE, the cooperative organisation to celebrate and promote the food and drink sector in and around the Cotswolds has held its first post pandemic networking event in Cheltenham.

The event was hosted by the team at the Queens Hotel in Cheltenham and Cotswold Taste members came as guests, while local food and drink producers showcased and sold their products on the night. 

Cotswold Taste chair Fiona Scott said: “We had a fabulous evening and would like to thank all who took time out of their busy day to come along and support our first event. It was wonderful for us to meet each other and make new connections.”

Caroline Topping, joint secretary, added: “It was great to see representatives from the farming and hospitality sectors at the event too; and that we all shared the same passion of supporting the local community where good quality food and drink is at the heart.”

She was supported by joint secretary Nicola Hardy. 

“It was great to see new relationships being established and the whole ethos of local food and local suppliers being so actively encouraged,” Nicola said.

Suppliers who showcased their products during the evening included: 

• Gloucester Brewery with their Fox Kiln gins.
• Beard & Sabre with their ciders from Bristol
• The Billowing Loaf with their breads from Stonehouse
• Fussels Fine Foods with their rapeseed oils and other products from Frome.
• Cotswold Meat & Game with their cheese and game products.
• The Incredible Brewing Company showcasing their beers, based near Bristol.

Guest speaker for the evening was Tim Fussell of Fussels Fine Foods which is a specialist producer of locally-grown cold-pressed rape seed products. Tim talked about the challenges of the pandemic, diversification and also shared an incident where his business was ‘scammed’ out of products worth thousands of pounds during the pandemic.

Additionally, Shaun Bowles, general manager at the Queens, shared his vision for working more closely with local suppliers over the coming months. 

All four of the directors who are running Cotswold Taste were in attendance including Fiona Scott, Dr Richard Baines, who is the principal consultant at Agri-business & Community Development, Caroline Topping of Gap Sales & Marketing Services Ltd based in Cheltenham and Nicola Hardy of NH Associates. The team plan on hosting their next networking event in the early autumn. 

To register an early interest in the next event please contact [email protected] or [email protected]