New three-year initiative to be launched in historic North Yorks venue to 'back local food producers' in Dales
A Yorkshire chef well known in Harrogate who held a Michelin star for 16 years is to launch a new three-initiative to champion sustainable food and drink producers in the Dales.
Chef Frances Atkins, who won a Michelin star at the Yorke Arms in Ramsgill near Pateley Bridge in 2003, will lead a group of Yorkshire chefs and local farmers at he first Nidderdale Feast at Masham Town Hall next Tuesday, March 17.
The Nidderdale Feast - part of a wider initiative by the National Landscapes Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme - will bring together chefs and primary producers from across Nidderdale to create a four-course meal using locally-sourced ingredients including Dalesbred shearling, pasture raised eggs, wheat grown near Masham and trout from Swinton.
Frances, who now runs Paradise Café in Killinghall, said: "Good food depends on the quality of the ingredients and working closely with local producers allows the landscape to be reflected in what is served.”
The chefs involved in creating the Nidderdale Feast meal include:
Tim Kitchen, Head Chef at The Penny Bun, Askwith
Huda Alhamwi, Syrian chef and founder of Road to Damascus catering in Pateley Bridge
Lawrence Yates, Executive Chef at Swinton Estate
Kimberley Brereton, Head Chef at Pickled Radish Feasts
Aled Williams, Head Chef at The General Tarleton, Ferrensby
Mikael Paylor, The Craven Arms, Appletreewick
Jon Atashroo, Chef at Where There’s Smoke, Masham
Jemima Robinson, Wildings Riverside Cafe
Feast coordinator, Matt Trevelyan, said the initiative aimed to strengthen links between food production, conservation and rural enterprise.
"Climate, biodiversity and food production are closely connected,” he said.
"Through this new three-year programme we want to support farmers and producers who are managing land responsibly while building resilient businesses
"Backing local food systems strengthens the rural economy and helps build long term resilience."
The Nidderdale Feast is the first step in a three-year initiative led by Nidderdale National Landscape and supported by the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, now extended until March 2029.
The evening will also include short talks on conservation, nutrition and rural resilience, hosted by chef and broadcaster Stephanie Moon.