Welcome to the Ayrshire Food Network
Loading content...
Newsflash
Update . February 8th
HEADLINES: New 2010 bedroom pack leaflet and separate map available for download from introductory section (see just above here ) as from February 1st
..................................................................
The exciting Balvenie Whisky tasting on the 3rd Feb was an amazing event and all those attending were able to experience the journey from the new make spirit to a 20+ year old port finished gem .We thank Andrew Forrester for his expert yet very user friendly guidance and insights.... a true Ambassador..BCSH provided a very flavoursome buffet and Carrick Wines introduced us to two of their most interesting Italian wines .
The Food Fayre at Alloway 1759 was an eye opener for many visitors,as they experienced flavoursome local produce including dirty carrots!!
..................................................................
Ayrshire Food Network/Slow Food were delighted to be invited to attend/contribute to the big environmental debate BBC 1 at 22.45 wednesday 16th December.This was a special Copenhagen related programme with Sorbie Farm and the editor present .
The Ayrshire Food Network was very pleased also to support the recent succesful Nostalgia Weekend in Troon .Cooking in the Kitchen from Kilmaurs provided suitable flavoursome nostalgic simple hot food during the interval at the fantastic In the Mood Concert ,and the Glen Miller Orchestra UK was able to enjoy fayre from the owners of the Pinewood Restaurant ,who are providing"outside catering " for the event
In mid December we were asked to present at a consultative meeting in the Mansefield Hotel Elgin, Morayshire on our experiences of setting up and maintaining a food and drink network .The event was joint hosted by SAC and the keynote speaker was Richard Lochhead MSP Moray ,Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment.
His recent announcement about a Scottish initiative to boost farmers' markets and the local food sector during the next 3 years is great news . Congratulations to Douglas Watson of SAOS on being appointed to the role of National Development Officer .
...........................................................................................................................................................................................
Welcome back also to the sixth week of Homecoming 2010 activities (In fact we have had over 370 visitors from26 countries visit this web site in the last 4 weeks looking at a total of over 1300 pages information- Amazingly over 170 different keywords were used in their search for information.94 referrals came from 40 sites .Also over 50% of visitors are clicking through on the hypertext links below ..dont miss out on the fun!)..Twitter/LinkedIn are having increasing impacts it seems, responsible for at least 4% of all visits with 25% of visitors overall coming from referral sites rather than search engines
The use of local food at Homecoming and other events continues to be strongly encouraged .See the attached link to the very useful guide facilitated by the Tourism Innovation Group and Scotland Food and Drink http://homecomingscotland2009.com/get-involved/food_events_guide.html
We are pleased to reconfirm our that our video outputs from our joint venture project with Ayr based Video 3 has been published and are viewable at http://www.video3uk.com/afn .There are 7 brief interviews with members .
The Video 3 facility will enable members of the Ayrshire Food Network and other associated innovative tourism /food groups to work and meet together in virtual environment using the latest internet and video conferencing technology .We hope it will prove very cost effective as well as environmentally sensitive . .The facility is ready for use ,so contact the editor to be among those to benefit .The facilities and ease use of the site have just been enhanced again since the start of 2010 so it is even more user and environmentally friendly to take up .
Strong cross referrals have continued to flow from www.stewarton.com .Thanks. to our colleagues there
Contact howard.wilkinson2@btinternet.com regarding immediate home page vertical banner advertising opportunities for AFN members at attractive monthly rates. -see opposite .New advertisements are about to appear
Homecoming Scotland 2010 presents us with very significant opportunities relating to the Burns 251st anniversary and culinary tourism in general ..see www.homecomingscotland2009.com see also www.comebacktoayrshire.com for information on Alloway 1759 on the 24th January and other opportunities
www.nethergatelarder.co.uk or Nethergate also launched in December a very flavoursome new cooked products range and a series of attractive hamper offerings .
Congratulations to Cosses Country House and Langside Farm for both winning the coveted "Gold Award" under the Visit Scotland Quality Assurance Scheme ...Accolades well deserved .see www.cossescountryhouse.com and www.langsidefarm..co.uk
The exciting new Woodlands hotel continues its development and Festive offerings (see the events listed opposite ) ..see www.woodlandfarm.co.uk
See also the events listing opposite for their Terra Madre day event in conjunction with Petrie Fine foods-Christmas puddings ,held on December 10th ... listed at www.terramadre.org The Saltire Convivium is likely to be featured in the spring 2010 Slow Food Newsletter
The Pinewood restaurant in Prestwick is continuing to create an impact locally ..check out www.thepinewood.co.uk They have recently gained also the formal dining Eat Scotland certifiicate and are contunuing to link up with other AFN members ...watch this space
Our Congratulations.. the restaurant is well worth a visit with flavoursome innovative food , knowledgeable staff, excellent service, an intimate atmosphere, and very good value for money .
also Divine Inspirations in Kilmaurs at www.lovedivineinspirations.com who provided complimentary confection favours for guests at Dalduff
William Grant and Son ltd have a very exciting web site at www.williamgrant.com.
We thank them all for their recent involvement and look forward to their participative influences
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................
South Ayrshire Council along with visit Scotland and Cooperative Development Scotland are hosting a Collaboration for Growth conference on Feb 18th at the Western house hotel in Ayr . The event is free of charge to attend .To register for the event e mail bgatewayayrshire@go.uk.com or call 01292 284839
SSMI (South of Scotland Marketing Initiative ) held a very insightful internet/social media related workshop at the Woodland Bay hotel on Wednesday the 20th of january .Contact 01465 831363 for more details of outcomes
The Ayrshire Food network were delighted to support the Alloway 1759 event organised by South Ayrshire Council on Sunday 24th January at the Burns Heritage centre in Alloway.review more details at www.comebacktoayrshire.com or in the local press reports
Glasgow Caledonian Sustainable Enterprise unit hosted a special free of charge event to which all AFN were invited at the Parkstone Hotel in Prestwick 27th January between 12.00 and 14.30 ,looking at the opportunities to measure and thereafter cut costs by reducing your business Carbon Footprint . To follow up please contact paulo.cruz@gcal.ac.uk
The Slow Food/AFN Balvenie Whisky tasting was held on Feb :3rd 2010-the venue being Burns Country Smokehouse Minishant ( see brief report above ) .check out their food offerings at www.burnsmoke.com. prices were set at £10 per ticket to include a tutored tasting featuring some local food and whisky matching ,followed by a light buffet accompanied by wines supplied by our newest AFN member Carrick Wines .Numbers were restricted to a maximum of 20 participants
We are about to start in conjunction with the Scottish Agricultural College a trial customer service research project involving AFN members and their customers ..we look forward to your involvement and support
We also participated on Monday 25th january in the very important branding exercise for Ayrshire which has started i conjunction with ACCI and Visit Scotland
Confirmation is awaited regarding a special feature on Ayrshire , as a weekend destination....it is scheduled for potential publication in the February 2010 edition of a leading UK lifestyle magazine.?
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
... .We saw many of you at the January farmers' market despite the snow and freezing temperatures & the next ones are the 12th February in Glasgow Partick or Paisley and on the the 14th Valentines Day several of the AFN members will be at the specially themed Falkirk farmers' market 12.00-16.00 see www.falkirkbid.com
Congratulations to Fins see www.fencebay.co.uk on being runners up for the Taste of Scotland Thistle award on the 23rd October...Check out the Fencebay new enhanced mail order service, which was launched on December 1st
Congratulations also to our colleagues at www.holidaysouthernscotland.co.uk for the ongoing development of this exciting new tourism initiative to which AFN has become formally associated.Their blog and use of new social media is invitingly interractive .
The annual AFN/ Slow food /SSMI event held on October 27th. continues to win praise. It .was an excellent local food event , .Congratulations to James Mcfadzean for hosting such an innovative and enjoyable event .The Dalduff barn is certainly a flexible stylish venue see www.dalduff.co.uk
BBC Good Food Show Scotland . saw considerable AFN activity with www.jambojambo.co.uk ; www.littledoone.co.uk; www.theepwoodfayre.com and www.kellyturkeys.com present More than 22,000 people attended spending on average £88 excluding entry charges ..no wonder the exhibitors were in the ,main pleased with the results !!
In addition www.taste-of-arran.co.uk had an impressive collective stand .They ran their excellent on line mail order Christmas campaign.. allowing customers take advantage of the inviting offers on their web site
As we gear up fully for the 2010 opportunities ,it is clear people will looking for authentic & interesting food and drink offerings to eat ,and as presents ..Little Doone Foods has had a great reception also from the Trade at the recent Speciality Food show . see www.LittleDoone.co.uk
Good luck with continuing February trading .
Please recommend one another to your customers and encourage visitors & use this site : also to advise /post your latest news and forthcoming events. (see opposite )
p.s Next week we hope to have more information available regarding our intended presence at Tourism Expo in April at the SECC ..April 14th-15th
thanks.
Happy early spring time
Howard Wilkinson
Chairperson-February 8th 2010
Ayrshire Food Network News
Monday 01 June 2009
AFN welcomes three new members
We welcome warmly three new members: The Pinewood Restaurant in Prestwick;William Grant and sons Distillers ltd - from Girvan: and Divine Inspirations -innovative confectioners from Kilmaurs.
Members News
Hotel Member News
There is currently no news available in this category.
Restaurant Member News
Tuesday 02 February 2010
NEW LUNCH MENU
New lunch menu served daily from 12.00noon to 3.30pm at Woodland Farm, Girvan
Other Member News
Tuesday 02 February 2010
HALF PRICE SALE AT WOODLAND FARM SHOP
Fabulous half price sale on most giftware, toys, jewellery, handbags and food items at Woodland Farm Shop, Girvan. Open daily from 9.00am to 4.30pm. Tel. 01465 710700 (Coffee House open 9.00am to 4.00pm).
Events
Ayrshire Food Network Events
No events are currently available in this category.
Restaurants & Coffee Shops
No events are currently available in this category.
Meat & Fish Suppliers
No events are currently available in this category.
Other Food & Drink Service Suppliers
Date: 20 March 2010
Ayrshire Coeliac Society Food Fair
Accommodation Providers
No events are currently available in this category.
Delis & Farm Shops
No events are currently available in this category.
Restaurant & Coffee Shops
Eating out should be a pleasurable experience, combining excellent ingredients with culinary flair, ambience & atmosphere, knowledgeable service and value
for money. Specialities and reputation often add to the expectations we have, ahead of any meal.
Within the membership of the AFN group we have a geographically spread selection of authentic restaurants and coffee shops, which provide a very interesting range of eating /dining experiences from Michelin Star accolades to acclaimed informal coffee shops.
Meat and Fish Suppliers
The quality of primary produced food, such as meat and fish has much to do with the general methods of husbandry, as well land usage,metods of production, weather and climate.
Ayrshire & Arran is fortunate to have land which is suited to animal farming, as well as 100 miles of coastline.
The determination, professionalism and experience of the "farmers/producers " who supply meat and fish into The Ayrshire Food Network ensure that both members of the public, and colleagues who are skilled chefs & hospitality providers, gain access to very high quality, flavoursome food.
Other Food & Drink Service Suppliers
The Ayrshire & Arran food networks have have more than 25 producers of regional food in addition to meat or fish .
The variety is very significant, ranging from farm house ice creams, non homogenised milk, milk smoothies, an array of cheeses made from cow's, goat or ewe'smik .
Seasonal vegetables, organic produce and herbs, together with soft and autumnal fruits mean that you can source locally and confidently your so called 5 a day portions ! The food miles are definitely reduced when you buy from one of this group.
Accommodation Providers
This group form a vital touristic component of the Network by providing regional local food,served with knowledge, care, skill and attention together with discerning accommodation.
With increasing emphasis on authenticity of visitor experience and green credentials, it seems the use of local produce has provided them with an operational and marketing advantage.
Hospitality and accommodation provision should go hand in hand with friendliness and local knowledge..we trust you find that is the case with our award winning members.
Delis & Farm Shops
Successful Delis and Farm Shops provide very important focal points for the Ayrshire Food Network and its produce/supplier base.
.Some have been relatively newly established at premises belonging to producers.
Others have developed very quickly using the Network as a source of excellent local produce, within a wider food/drink product offering.
One thing is clear, reliable sources of distinct, flavoursome, value for money regional food specialities is a key component of this food retail success.
