On the 16th April, Sarah Dines MP welcomed eleven Derbyshire businesses to Parliament to showcase to her Parliamentary colleagues all that Derbyshire Dales has to offer. The attendees were Chatsworth Farm Shop, Coldeaton Jersey Dairy, Drowned Villages Smokery, Ginger Butchers at New Close Farm, Hartington Creamery, Mallon & Green, Matlock Meadows Ice Cream, The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop, Nigel’s Butchers, Peak Ales, and Sourdough Dave. Representatives of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire were also in attendance, as were Lord McLoughlin and the Earl of Burlington.
Sarah Dines MP said, ‘I know I am completely biased but I wholeheartedly believe that Derbyshire Dales has the best produce in the country, and that much of it is world-class. I was absolutely honoured to be joined by some fantastic local businesses in Parliament on the 16th April, all of which embody this spirit of excellence. Together they showcased some of the fabulous things on offer in Derbyshire Dales. Every single person that attended, whether they were Members of Parliament, Lords, Baronesses, Parliamentary staff, Ministers or House staff, went away singing the praises of all the businesses in attendance, declaring the event to be the best ‘Taste Of’ event ever to be held in Parliament - of which there are a great number held each year. So many attendees have made plans to visit the businesses in person here in Derbyshire Dales and I am quite certain that all the businesses will have many new customers as a result of the day.
Looking around the room at the beautifully curated stands and delicious produce just before the event was opened, I was struck by the incredible array of talent in the room. Chatsworth Farm shop had a glorious display of products, including giant lemons grown in the greenhouse at Chatsworth – which I am told make a fantastic addition to a lemon drizzle cake recipe.
Hartington Creamery had all my favourites for everyone to try and Robert Gosling was joined by Ryan, a previous Young Cheesemaker of the Year winner whose family have been making cheese in Hartington for four generations. Coldeaton Jersey Dairy and Matlock Meadows served incredible ice cream and I saw many a government minister leaving the room with a tub or two. As a committed ice cream lover, I was so delighted to not have only one ice cream producer, but two.
Peak Ales provided fantastic samples of their drinks, including Chatsworth Gold. I was told by one attendee that their Chatsworth Gin was the nicest they had tried. The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop showcased our much-loved Bakewell Pudding and it was so lovely to hear people being introduced to the difference between a Bakewell tart and a pudding, which is a very important distinction to all of us in Derbyshire.
Ginger Butchers and Nigel’s Butchers did Derbyshire proud, illustrating the incredible quality of our local meat. Pork pies, sausages, cooked meats and potted beef were on offer. I think people sometimes forget, or at least do not appreciate, the incredible skill that goes into butchery and I doubt we could have been joined by two finer examples of the craft.
While the other businesses demonstrated produce from the land, Mallon & Green and Drowned Villages Smokery highlighted the importance of our local water quality and offered delicious smoked Derbyshire-caught trout. Both businesses care passionately about preserving the health of our rivers and welcoming more people to learn more about fishing on our local waterways.
Sourdough Dave provided the most incredible fresh baked sourdough bread and seeing as he got up at midnight to bake the loaves fresh for the day and for his loyal customer base, he and Sourdough Sarah deserve a huge thank you for their commitment.
I cannot thank the businesses enough for coming to Parliament and showcasing what our area has to offer. I am incredibly proud to represent some of the finest artisans around. I am very much looking forward to holding similar events in the future.’
