A taste of Gloucester

It’s not everyday you get invited to Parliament, but yesterday, GGT and Gloucester Services were invited to showcase producers and talk about how we jointly support local communities as part of the Taste of Gloucester event.  The invite came from Gloucester MP Richard Graham, and gave local food producers the opportunity to talk to up to 200 MPs , ensuring they were well fed for their current challenges.​

Clare Skivington, GGT Community Support Manager said: “It was a great opportunity to talk about how a family business and a charity can come together to create something that has real and meaningful impact on the local community, environment  and economy. The most common comment was more people should be using this model – it’s brilliant."

Brian Iles from Gloucester Services, MP Richard Graham and Clare Skivington of GGT at the Taste of Gloucester event

Delicious fudge and truffles produced by Nailsworth producer Costello & Hellerstein, available in Gloucester Services Farmshops

Some of the delicious local producers stocked in Gloucester Services Farmshops that showcased their products included apple juice from Our Small Farm; Paul Elliot of Gloucester Biltong; truffles and fudge from Nailsworth based Costello & Hellerstein; and Hobbs House Bakery.

Brian Iles, Group Food Operations Manager at Gloucester Services added: “There was a lot going on in Parliament yesterday with the general election announcement but feedback was very positive from Richard Graham, his team and all of our local MPs, the Secretary of State for Agriculture and a broad spectrum of MP’s from further afield and many, many researchers who were keen to learn about us and our brilliant producers.
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Around a 100 people or so were exposed to our story, our suppliers and Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and it was really positive to share with those who had been customers. They were all keen to share their experiences on site and it was unanimously a positive return for our food, our team and the way we are working together as a community.”

Paul Elliot of Gloucester Biltong sharing his story and produce with MPs

Tanya and Ian Greenfield from Our Small Farm, Wooton Under Edge, who harvest old varieties of apples from small, non-commercial orchards for their apple juice