Calling on all Food Heroes

The hunt for the tastiest local foods(Flickr; eyeflyer), winning produce will be served at ACC Liverpool.

The search is on to find the tastiest food producers in the North West. The Food Heroes Competition will see Heathcotes partner with Liverpool’s premier event venue, ACC Liverpool, to offer food producers within a 50 mile radius of Liverpool the chance to have their produce served at the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre.

Heathcotes Outside managing director Gary Bates said: “We are looking for the best berries, crunchiest carrots and tastiest tomatoes the region has to offer. We want to give all regional food producers the opportunity to demonstrate to us that their products are the best in their field.”

The competition will give food producers, from farmers to fisherman, the chance to have their products eaten by top celebrities, politicians and a variety of leading business people at concerts and conferences.
Bob Prattey, chief executive of ACC Liverpool said: “ACC Liverpool is a major part of the economic regeneration of the city region and to spread that regeneration out into the region's food production industry is a further demonstration of our commitment to supporting regional businesses."

With supermarkets such as Tesco sprouting across the city centre local food produce has taken a back seat. The recession has also had an effect on local food producers as it has become increasingly difficult to compete with the low prices to be found in supermarkets.

Bob Prattey said: "As the greenest conference and exhibition venue in the UK, food miles and sustainability are very high on our agenda. Therefore, the more ingredients we can source from our own doorstep the better.”

The organisers of the competition hope to give a boost to the local food industry as well as finding the top produce that can be sourced in the North West. Gary Bates said: “Hopefully this search will help us identify more top-quality items we can use in our dishes and simultaneously help us provide further support to the region's food industry - we are searching for the unusual, the forgotten and the best kept secrets"

The produce will be judged later this year by a panel of food and event catering experts including Paul Heathcote and Gary Bates.