WORLD-famous botanist and environmental campaigner David Bellamy is telling everyone: “Forget the recession, Cheshire food is too good to miss.”
The much-loved TV presenter will be joining tens of thousands of people to sample the area’s homegrown produce and sing the praises of local farmers at this year’s Cheshire County Show at Tabley, near Knutsford, on June 23 and 24.
It will be the third year running that he has lent his support to the flagship agricultural event and he admits he can’t keep away from the ‘fabulous sights, characters and flavours’.
He says: “It is a very special event and a fantastic celebration of the county and its agricultural community, who have been working these soils for hundreds of years.
“Sod the credit crunch. I know local produce is a bit more expensive but you should go for quality over quantity.”
David, who will be judging trade stands, giving a wildlife gardening presentation in the flower marquee and even exhibiting his culinary talents with a cooking demonstration, says the most mouth-watering attraction is the cheese.
He added: “I adore Cheshire cheese. There are just so many different varieties and one I tried last year set all my tastebuds buzzing.
“It is a very important part of the local history and I love meeting the farmers and the people involved in producing it.”
And organisers of the annual Cheshire Show promise ‘two days of feel-good escapism’ with something for everyone.
David says: “There is such a wide and diverse array of entertainment and education, it’s wonderful. I do get sick of people taking this country’s agricultural heritage for granted. Some people don’t understand how important farmers are.
“When I was a kid in London you would go past the butchers and see the meat hanging up in the window. Youngsters understood where their food came from.
“The Cheshire Show is a chance for people to look at the history and the future of their food and that’s very good news.”
David adds that although he believes Cheshire produce is amongst the finest in the county, he thinks there are still a wide variety of relatively untapped opportunities.
“A lot of our countryside is overrun by rabbits and squirrels,” he said. “I tasted squirrel at the last show and it was fantastic.
“Whatever you choose to eat or see at the show, the most important thing is to come along and see for yourself how your meat, milk and cheese is produced by our unsung heroes. I’ll see you there.”
