Countryside Alliance - love the countryside

Countryside Alliance Head of Communitcations Jill Grieve has blogged on the lessons Government should be learning from its own dismal "buy British" statistics and laments that when it comes to the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative it is "less British produce, more gravy train". Read Jill's blog here.

The Countryside Alliance says the Government is “continuing to fail to lead by example on buying British and supporting British farmers.” A new report shows a fall in the amount of UK-produced food being procured by the Government and its departments. The Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) published a report at the end of February on the “Proportion of domestically produced food used by government departments.”

The Countryside Alliance handed out its “Rural Oscars” at a Parliamentary reception on Wednesday 3rd February. British titles have gone to businesses from Cumbria, Yorkshire, Worcestershire and Dumfries, political awards went to Sir Alan Beith MP and Philip Dunne MP and the Rural Hero of 2009 Award went to Lincolnshire’s Agricultural Chaplain, Rev Canon Alan Robson.

Congratulations to The Greyhound Inn at Grizebeck in Cumbria, which has been named the Daily Telegraph Traditional Business of 2009 in the Countryside Alliance Awards. Read the Telegraph's announcement here.

The Countryside Alliance Awards will culminate at a reception at Parliament on 3rd February. Ahead of this, however, on Saturday 30th January 2010, the Daily Telegraph will announce the winner of its own category, the Traditional Business Award, in the Weekend section of the paper. Our 12 regional winners from across Britain are hot contenders for the title. Below, Countryside Alliance staff who judged each outfit sum up why their local business is the best.