The National Trust has announced it is backing a Government Minister’s call to save the great British pudding.

After being appointed in a recent cabinet reshuffle, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson urged people to be patriotic with their puddings, choosing traditional British recipes over foreign imports. In an interview with Farmers Weekly, Paterson said: “There is a huge dessert deficit in this country. We have a huge opportunity to replace imported desserts with desserts made here.”

He encouraged diners to swap desserts such as crème brulee and panna cotta, which use imported dairy products, for traditional favourites like apple crumble, treacle tart and spotted dick.

The news comes as the National Trust prepares to launch its autumn pudding campaign, with free puddings throughout the month of October with every lunchtime meal purchased in its selected cafes and restaurants.

The flavour of the month will be great British puddings, all made from seasonal ingredients – a reminder to visitors at National Trust places just how good a British pud can be.

A recent National Trust online poll of people’s favourite autumn puddings found that dishes using seasonal ingredients remained the popular first choice, despite the modern trend of year-round food availability using foreign imports*.

Clive Goudercourt, Development Chef for the National Trust, said: “We pride ourselves on baking our own food using the best of British ingredients, many grown on National Trust estates and farms.

“We hope our delicious, home-cooked puddings will inspire people to choose traditional recipes and celebrate Britain’s best food across the seasons.”

Clive added: “British, seasonal food is tastier, fresher and more nutritious. It is better value, better for the environment and better for your wallet.”

Delicious examples of fresh autumn food can be enjoyed for free when customers spend over £5.75 on a main lunchtime meal at over 100 National Trust locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

To find out more about this offer, and to download free recipes to help save the Great British pud, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/pudding and download a voucher (offer is valid from Monday 1st October until Wednesday 31st October 2012).

There’s also the chance to walk off those autumn puddings on a Great British Walk with the National Trust. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greatbritishwalk for more information and to download hundreds of free walking routes.

Via EPR Network
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