Mayor Julie Stewart-Turner’s bid to back local food and drink suppliers

Nov 3 2009 by Huddersfield Daily Examiner

BUY local food and drink – that’s the message from 24 of the town’s top suppliers.

Chefs, ice-cream-makers and farmers got together with one aim in mind – to encourage people and businesses to back the town’s own suppliers.

They were brought together for the Galpharm Stadium promotion by the Mayor of Kirklees, Clr Julie Stewart-Turner, who is using her year in office to promote the wealth of goods produced in the town.

And she has the backing of two of the town’s top chefs – Tim Bilton, of the Butchers Arms, at Hepworth, who was named Yorkshire Chef of the Year and trained with Raymond Blanc, and Barrington Douglas of Discovery Bay, a self-taught chef who uses his Caribbean roots as his inspiration.

The mayor said: “I was always trying to buy local produce, but often found it difficult to know where to go, so I wanted to get everyone together to support each other and promote it.

“I always thought it was silly buying apples which had come all the way from New Zealand when they are grown on our own doorstep. If we support local then we reduce the carbon and the miles food travels.

“Also, there are some fantastic small businesses making top quality produce in our town and I wanted to do what I could to support them.

“If I can encourage people to spend their money in our own community and support these businesses then that’s fantastic.”

For Alison Buckle, of A Piece of Cake, based at Aspley, it is a chance for people to know about her unique cake-making. She has been making her 3D cakes for four years after leaving Huddersfield Technical College.