A Yorkshire Dales farm shop is playing host to chef and presenter Tom Kerridge as part of a new TV series looking to find the next big artisan food producer.
Award winning Town End Farm Shop in Airton will welcome the Michelin starred chef as part of the BBC 2 food and drink competition, The Finest in the Deli: Yorkshire’s Choice, which will showcase producers from all around the UK throughout September.
The exciting contest gives amateur and small scale producers the chance to showcase their products to real customers as well as two expert judges as they attempt to convince them that their product is the best and deserves a permanent space on the shelves
In each episode, four different food and drink producers will be introduced along with their products and how they are made. They will then be brought together in Town End to sample and sell their products to the general public.
The judges – food writer and restaurateur Nisha Katona and artisan expert Alison Swan Parente, will be assessing whether their creations have what it takes to sustain a profitable business. Crucially though, it’s not just the judges the producers have to impress – making sales in the shop and appealing to the taste buds, and wallets, of the local community will be just as important if their product is to be awarded the coveted best in shop title.
At the end of the series, in the eighth and final show, the shop will be filled with the seven winning products from the seven different categories. The judges will ask the locals to help them one last time to decide which producer and product is the best overall.
Tom Kerridge said: “The huge rise in interest around artisan food products in this country has been phenomenal over the past few years. This has led to a great many more amateur food lovers having a go at making goods themselves with some outstanding results. I cannot wait to see the range of artisan products on the shop shelf and seeing if they are well received by the local community!”
Filming has been taking place throughout September and will continue until Friday 28th September. The public are being invited to get involved by visiting Town End Farm Shop before the end of the month and sampling the products on offer.