*** Next year's Somerset Food Trail will run from Friday 17 July to Sunday 26 July***
Who takes part?Food Trail participants range from goat herders, cider makers and dairy farmers to cheesemakers, pubs, vineyards, artisan bakers and vegetable growers. Pubs, cafés and restaurants offered a special menu featuring locally sourced food during the event. A number of special events are held such as picnics, vineyard and mill tours and pizza and sausage making.
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Welcome to Taste the Landscape, the Somerset Food Trail that celebrates the best of locally produced, delicious and sustainable food. We held a very successful inaugural Food Trail in 2018, linked up with another food festival, West Country Food Adventures, in 2019 and are now returning to the Somerset Food Trail format for 2020.
Save the date: Friday 17 July to Saturday 26We'll update the website with details of the 2020 Food Trail in coming weeks. In the meantime, if you'd like to find out more about the 2018 Food Trail and how it worked, feel free to browse the rest of this site. And if you are a farmer, food retailer or manufacturer, pub or restaurant and are producing or promoting local, sustainable food and would like to take part in 2020, please get in touch.
What is the food trail all about?Modelled on arts trails such as Somerset Art Works, the food trail saw farmers and food producers, as well as pubs and restaurants, opening their doors to the public at set times over a 10-day period in July.
The Food Trail focuses mainly on Mendip and surrounding areas in Sedgemoor and South Somerset. In 2018 it ranged from Wells, Wookey and Wedmore to Shepton Mallet, Bruton and the Brue Valley. Participants were mostly small-scale farmers or producers. The first Food Trail went very well and we are really looking forward to the 2020 event. The overwhelming verdict from participants – both visitors and venues – was that Taste the Landscape was a fantastic opportunity for food-lovers to learn exactly how their favourite bites and tipples are produced as well as discover some of Somerset’s most exciting farmers, food producers and retail outlets. |
How the food trail works
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We'll begin listing details of the 2020 Food Trail in coming weeks but this is how the Food Trail works. Venues open for set times during the Food Trail. These vary according to venue, so check out the Food Trail page for details of opening times and addresses. Then you can plan which venues you would like to visit, and when.
Where possible, we encourage people to walk or cycle to venues. The food trail is mostly free, although there will be a modest charge for some special events. Again, details are on the Food Trail page. Participating pubs and restaurants celebrate local food with a special menu during the event. You can download a map of the 2018 food trail here. |
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PLAN YOUR FOOD TRAIL
WHO ARE THE ORGANISERS?
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Taste the Landscape is organised by a group of community organisations that are passionate about local sustainable food. They include Wells Food Network, Reimagining The Levels, Somerset Community Food, Somerset Food Direct, Green Wedmore and Sustainable Wells.
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LOCALLY PRODUCED, HEALTHY, SUSTAINABLE – AND, OF COURSE, DELICIOUS
FOOD, LANDSCAPE AND COMMUNITY
Food and farming have always been a vital part of the life of Somerset, shaping our landscape and economy for generations.
Yet our food and farming system is under pressure as never before, with small family farms increasingly disappearing to be
replaced by more intensive operations. Meanwhile, diet-related health problems, such as type two diabetes and obesity, are on
the rise. We believe that by putting healthy, sustainable food at the heart of all we do, we can strengthen our communities,
conserve our countryside, protect our biodiversity, boost our local economy – and greatly add to our enjoyment of life
Yet our food and farming system is under pressure as never before, with small family farms increasingly disappearing to be
replaced by more intensive operations. Meanwhile, diet-related health problems, such as type two diabetes and obesity, are on
the rise. We believe that by putting healthy, sustainable food at the heart of all we do, we can strengthen our communities,
conserve our countryside, protect our biodiversity, boost our local economy – and greatly add to our enjoyment of life
Picture credits, from top: Sunset over the Levels, by Richard Toller; Peaceful Tone, by Mark Robinson; Steak salad, by Kelly Jaggers; Charles Dowding with a group of 2018 food trail participants; breakfast at the Greenfield Cafe, one of the 2018 food trail participants; 2018 food trail participant Wookey Goat Farm; Food trail sign; Cows grazing, by IDS.Photos