Dartmoor National Park Authority

22 October 2009

Dartmoor Food and Drink Festival

Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2009

10.00 am to 5.00 pm daily

Free Entry

Princetown Community Centre

Come to Princetown this weekend for the inaugural Dartmoor Food and Drink Festival with free tasting events, hands-on classes, demonstrations and competitions with great prizes to be won.

FOOD THAT DOESN'T COST THE EARTH

Dartmoor is a special place, with many small, independent businesses, producing a huge variety of food and drink. The Dartmoor Food and Drink Festival is bringing them together under one roof to promote all the benefits of producing, buying and cooking with local food.

The producers will be joined by a host of Dartmoor’s top chefs who will be showing off their skills over the weekend including. Peter Gorton, fresh from his new TV series, the Agaric, Ashburton Cookery School, the Fish Deli, Mill End Hotel, Princehall Hotel, Gidleigh Park and The Horn of Plenty

As well as cookery classes for all ages, free cream teas for 50 lucky people each day, sausage making, apple pressing and Dartmoor burgers on sale there will be stalls from a wide range of Dartmoor food and drink producers.

Highlighting the importance of a vibrant local food economy and keeping with the sustainability theme, Dartmoor National Park Authority and others will be in attendance with lots of information and advice. The Festival will introduce the Dartmoor First award for Dartmoor businesses, and on Saturday mark ‘350 - International Day of Climate Action.’ People from around the world will use the day to raise public awareness of the urgent need to reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million - recognised as the safe limit for humanity.

Find out more on www.dartmoorfoodanddrink.co.uk (external link, opens new window).

For further information

Stella West-Harling 07850587424

Stella@ashburtoncookeryschool.co.uk

www.dartmoorfoodanddrink.co.uk (external link, opens new window).

Notes for Editors

Dartmoor Food and Drink Association

The Association is a self-help organisation of producers on Dartmoor. A team of volunteers are putting on the very first Food and Drink Festival celebrating Dartmoor produce.

Dartmoor Food and Drink Association enables producers, and outlets to work in conjunction with each other to share and cut transport, thereby reducing the costs of getting produce to market and reducing the carbon footprint on Dartmoor.

Princetown Community centre

The new Princetown Community Centre was officially opened by HRH, Prince Charles in September. The centre which opened its doors in April, provides access to IT services, a GP surgery, library, pre-school, exercise classes and a venue for community groups.

Further details 01822 890732

Dartmoor First

Dartmoor First is an award for all businesses on Dartmoor which recognises commitment to sustaining Dartmoor and its special qualities. The Award is a Dartmoor Partnership initiative managed by the Dartmoor National Park Authority.Nearly 30 Dartmoor businesses have achieved the award to date.

Further details from Richard Drysdale, Sustainable Tourism Officer, Dartmoor National Park Authority. rdrysdale@dartmoor-npa.gov.uk 01626 832093

350 - International Day of Climate Action.

24 October is the day when groups from all over the world will highlight the number 350 (as in parts per million - the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere). It's recognised that to tackle climate change we need to move quickly, and we need to act in unison—and 2009 will be an absolutely crucial year.  This December, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, to craft a new global treaty on cutting emissions. The problem is, the treaty currently on the table doesn't meet the severity of the climate crisis—it doesn't pass the 350 test.

Further details from www.350.org (external link, opens new window).

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Page updated 21 October 2009