Opportunity Update for Members: ICSA have teamed up with ‘Love British Food’ who will be promoting all our members, focusing on our support for British produce and our core values. Below is an update for them on how you can tap into their extensive resources and support British Food.

British food and farming is headline news daily.  Since we started our campaign 18 years ago there has never been a more urgent need to promote British food.  We are, quite literally, firing on all cylinders promoting the benefits of buying British to consumers, to retailers, to pubs and restaurants and across the huge buying power of our public sector: to school caterers, hospitals, care homes and universities (the latter very topical given this week’s news!).

We are achieving much. We need to achieve even more.  The forthcoming British Food Fortnight looks tremendous.  And already we are also looking ahead to after 31st October and the things we need to do to promote British food whatever the outcome.  Here is a quick update.

Looking ahead to 2020 and indeed to the next 5 years – we need your help to ensure consumers understand the benefits of buying British and actively seek it out when they are shopping or eating out.  We want British to be the first supplier of choice for consumers and food service providers.  Achieving this will give farmers the confidence to keep farming and producing our food.

FUNDING: We are the leading campaign for British food but there is so much more we could do.  Adding to the digital activity, producing more web films, trial podcasts with committee members/partners, banners and hard copy material for our team of Community Supporters to use at events, school visits, local events…. all this costs money.

In September we are launching a funding appeal on social media to help achieve this.  If you know of companies or brands that may be interested in coming on board please let us know.

Coverage on Love British Food and British Food Fortnight is coming thick and fast and very positive across consumer and trade press. Wherever possible, please ensure you have added the Love British Food and British Food Fortnight logo to your website and literature. This is so important to help raise awareness and support of the campaign.

 

2019 – Expected Activity

An overview of participation (that we know of) in British Food Fortnight this year….

 

5 Hospitals

469 Schools

2 Universities

362 Care Homes

1 Prison/Young Offenders’ unit

2 Defence Units

365 Pubs, Restaurants, Hotels, Cafes

5 Corporate, Sport + Leisure Sites

10 National Trust sites

50 Farmers Markets

10  Cookery Schools including ICSA accredited members

25 Food Festival + Demos

50 Community Events

5 Stores

  1. British Food is Great campaign

Last year My Name Is…. campaign worked very well and has just been relaunched for this year.  Asking farmers, producers, suppliers, even vets, cooks, chefs etc. to post an image of themselves with their name, what they produce/do, where they are from and share on social media tagging us in.

We are using these images to form our advertising campaign on social media, website plus and inviting all to download to print and display in their communities.

Please do get involved. 

  1. Launch Event – Hampshire Fare

Winners of 2018 British Food Fortnight Competition are hosting a launch for this year’s event on 12th September at Wicor School, Hampshire.  Ambassadors Oli Blanc and Chris Bavin (tbc) are attending to enjoy local produce including Ploughmans, local butchers showcasing their meats. VIPs and local media will be attending and we will be supporting with media releases.

  1. Harvest Torch & The Great Harvest Trail – Somerset

Two weeks of events starting with a Flower Festival trail across the five parishes of Chantry, Buckland Dinham, Great Elms, Mells with Vobster and Whatley to include harvest suppers and music. The Harvest Torch will be carried all over Somerset end up in Wells Cathedral on Sunday 6 October.

Somerset Young Farmers – will be taking the torch to YFC events and they will deliver to Wells Cathedral for their 85th annual harvest service at 6pm.

Social Media: If you tag them on any British focused social media articles @LoveBritishFood tag #BritishFoodisGreat they will RT where poss to over 30K social media foodie followers.
Visit and interact with their Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/LoveBritishFood

British Food Fortnight: 21st September – 6th October 2019.
We will be sharing media and activity during this high profile fortnight in the Food calendar.

ICSA MEMBERS PROPOSAL: We are exploring a high profile 2 week promotion called ‘Love British Food ICSA Cookery Course Fortnight’ In association with BFF. We will encourage members to host a series of courses focusing on: Sustainability. Seasonality. Sourcing British Produce. Each course teaching skills based cooking for the domestic cook. Children. Families. Couples. Students going to college! Ingredients may be sponsored by a high profile retailer. Keep the two weeks of BFF available to slot in new courses for extra National PR and revenue. More to follow.

Seasonal Recipes: Do have suitable recipes which tick our ‘core values’ boxes using seasonal, regional British ingredients? Love British Food will promote them on their website and link back to your page on ICSA to promote your school. Send them to us with a  nice photo. See a list of what they require below:

British Beef – we are lacking beef recipes so a good home made beef burger would be great or something a bit more Spring/Summer focused if possible? The beef recipes we have are very winter based. Seasoned are doing us a beef curry and/or beef wellington
Breakfast – maybe a full English would be good, at the moment we have:
Crumpets

Homemade Damson Jam

Toffee Apple Pancakes

Irish Stout Buttermilk Porridge

Pancake Blinis with Parma ham,

poached egg and hollandaise

Sausage & eggs benedict

Sausages: Maybe a really good sausage & mash or toad in the hole? Or a gammon, egg & chips?
Ploughman’s: Good traditional ploughman’s
Pizza: Using British seasonal veg and English Cheddar
Dessert: Sticky toffee pudding, Eton Mess or Summers Pudding
Cake: Victoria Sandwich or carrot cake or Apple upside down cake or Eccles cake
Roast Dinner: We are lacking a good traditional roast
Apple Pie or Crumble: Definitely something with Autumnal seasonal fruits
Modern take on a pie
Soup

LOVE BRITISH FOOD:

Expected Results 2019

Website year – 600k

Website BFF – 65k

Social media BFF – reach 6m

Social media year – reach 10m

Media reach – 26m

PLUS

New Ambassadors – to ensure we are able to provide quotes and attendance at events we have extended our ambassadors out and they are led by Raymond Blanc and Liz Earle.

  • Alex Hollywood, Home cook and food writer, regular on This Morning
  • Lizzie Carr, environmental activist, adventurer and found of Plastic Patrol
  • Chris Bavin, ex greengrocer, TV cook and presenter
  • Ruth Hansom, Chef, Pomonas – previously at The Riza, finalist in Bocuse D’or
  • Simon Hulstone, Michelin starred chef and owner of The Elephant, Torquay
  • Cyrus Todiwala, Chef, author, educator and entrepreneur, Café Spice Namaste
  • Al Crisci, Chef at HMPS and founder of The Clink
  • Matt Sworder, Chef, The Corner House in Kent
  • Lotte Duncan, broadcaster, English cook and runs Thame Food Festival and Bradford on Avon
  • The Crabstock Boys, teaching people about shellfish across the UK, plus run the only UK do cookery demos and have a pop-up UK seafood restaurant.
  • Jane Devonshire, Masterchef winner 2016 and expert on gluten free recipes
  • Jane Peyton, beer sommelier, drinks educator and first ever cider pommelier, Jane runs the Beer Day Britain in June
  • Andy Jones, Chairman of Public Sector Catering and HCA Member (current committee member). Andy is one of the most inspirational people to work with and thrives to ensure patients are treated in the correct way being delivered whole food and hydration.  Andy is a key lead and also sits on the government led hospital food panel.

Farming Ambassadors

The farming team worked well last year so we have added some more.  This group of farmers are proactive, sharing the campaigns on social media and attending events for us.

  • Rich Bower, beef, lamb, pork and some arable
  • Milly Fyfe, beef, lamb, pork
  • Hannah Binns, NFU trainee and sheep farmer
  • Chris Manley,. Muller agri team and beef and lamb farmer
  • Katie Smith, farmer – Katie is very enthusiastic and has attended a number of events for us
  • Lyndsey Martin, lab
  • Mary Ankers – dairy farmer
  • Josh Dowbiggin, Co-op and genetics
  • Whizz Middleton, arable farmer

Upcoming Activity – August – December 2019

  1. Cost Sector Catering – August – December 2019

We negotiated the L:BF feature to continue forward on same approach and actually most issues were either 2 or 3 pages.

September                              BFF Overview Interview with Minette Batters

           October                                   Education

            November                               Corporate

            December                               Ed – University

            January                                   Care

            February                                 Education

 

Let us know if you can think of other initiatives to gain extra support for ICSA schools via this valuable resource.

Email us here

ICSA Logo