Chefs are down on the farm.

Byline: By Jennifer Mackenzie

Chefs turned out for a unique on-farm event connecting the farm and the restaurant.

The chefs were invited to Low Foulshaw Farm, Levens, near Kendal, to find out more about how the Geldard family has diversified their farm business with a farm shop, Lakeland Food Park and the Plumgarths ASDA local sourcing initiative.

The chefs included Michelin-starred Nigel Haworth, patron of Northcote Manor, near Blackburn.

His passion for "local" was underlined in a presentation before he had the opportunity to tour the beef, sheep and free-range poultry enterprises managed by the Geldard family.

The family is made up of John and Rachel and sons Richard and Charles.

Also there was Duncan Collinge, head chef of the Lakeside Hotel, Newby Bridge, Windermere, which is 20 miles from Low Foulshaw.

As their first customer, he has been sourcing his beef and lamb from Plumgarths for three years and is now buying up to 60 fillet steaks a week.

Duncan said: "I have been involved with using local produce for a long time and I wanted to use meat that was produced locally.

"We find the quality is excellent and we have got a good working relationship with Plumgarths and the Geldards.

"They are always here to help.

"I think it is becoming more important to consumers that they know where their food has come from.

"They take great pleasure in asking us where the food has come from and it is also important to be supporting the local economy."

Mr Collinge had already introduced his chefs to the farming operation at Low Foulshaw.

He said: "It's important for me that they understand how much effort the farmer has put into rearing a quality product which, in turn, they will respect more."

Plumgarths has made great strides over the last three years in helping to reconnect the food chain.

It began with John Geldard's decision to progress his farm diversification business in 2002, by launching Plumgarths Foodservice to meet the demand for "local" from hotels and restaurants.

The business offers high quality branded beef and lamb naturally reared by the region's farmers and sourced from a nearby abattoir.

Additional skills were introduced with two fellow business directors, Steve Chambers and Paul Airey.

Mr Geldard said: "This event, believed to be the first large-scale communications exercise of its kind, was intended to introduce chefs to the food chain and to inform them of what really goes on on the farm ( the extremely high levels of farm management and animal nutrition we implement to produce quality beef and lamb.

"In addition, we want to reinforce how suppliers and customers are keen to learn from each other and that farmers are continually responding and delivering to meet discerning customer requirements." The English Beef and Lamb Executive, one of the event sponsors, demonstrated new cuts designed to improve menu appeal.

It also explained the Quality Standard Scheme for beef and lamb.

EBLEX foodservice project manager, Hugh Judd said: "We're promoting the quality standard mark for English beef and lamb which the Geldards, along with hundreds of other producers, have already achieved."

It promised consistency, quality, succulence and tenderness, he said.