The remark I got the other from a fellow patron at a local pub when trying to decide what to chose on the menu. Before I could say a word the publican had launched in to a sermon on where he sourced each ingredient on his menu and the importance of supporting local producers and finding food he could trust. I was very impressed but could find no reference at all to local sourcing on the menu and black board.
I have always wanted to get a restaurant to change one item on it’s standard menu to mention a local source to see if sales go up and was pleased to hear from a chef recently that sales of roast pork tripled when they had stated on the menu the village and name of the local farmer from who the meat had been sourced.
This shows that we do perceive local to be best and should ask our local eateries where they get their ingredients. And if they do buy locally put it on the menu, I am sure they will have a pleasant surprise.
At BigBarn we are, of course, doing our bit by finding the best ways of supplying restaurants and pubs and even persuading the big caterers like compass, 3663 and sodexho (the suppliers of many of the large chains serving, everything … and chips) to look for local suppliers on BigBarn. They seem keen but as usual need a bit of a consumer push.
So next time you are eating out ask the waiter about the ingredients, and if they say they would like to source locally but don’t know how to find it, tell them where to go.