Food

Food and Drink in Surrey 

Surrey is home to a great many cuisines anything from the great British fish and chips, best of local / regional food, classic French, modern European, Asian and “Fusion” which brings influences from around the world.  We have more than our fair share of top chefs including Tony Tobin at The Dining Room in Reigate, Michelin starred chefs Michael Wignall at Pennyhill Park and Steve Drake at Drake’s restaurant in Ripley.  In the past Surrey may have had the reputation of suburbia, but increasingly the county is being recognised for its high quality food and drink.  Sitting in the heart of the Surrey Hills, once joined to France’s champagne region, is Denbies Wine Estate. Here they produce award winning red and white wines such as Surrey Gold. Their Greenfields cuvee, a delightful sparkling wine, recently won the gold award at the world renowned International Wine Challenge. Surrey is also home to the Hogs Back Brewery with their superlative range of unique beers and ales brewed using local hops from Hamptons Estate at nearby Seale. Traditional English Ale, or TEA as it is known is brewed here and exported all over the world. In recent years a number of so-called micro breweries have opened and are proving to be very successful, Crondal Brewery and Ascot Brewery being two very good examples. Beef and ale is a classic combination, and Surrey has some of the finest beef producers in the country.  Angus Stovold at Lydling farm has been producing Aberdeen Angus beef for three generations. You can guarantee beef of exceptional flavour and texture and also feed reassured that you the animals have been looked after to the highest standards of animal welfare.


Local food in Surrey 
Interest in local food is rising high with lots of attention in the media and and championing by celebrity chefs.  As a result of this increase in demand it is becoming easier to find. Surrey has some of the finest farm shops in the country, Secretts at Milford growers of seasonal fruit and vegetables, Garsons at Esher with their pick your own and Priory Farm Shop with their own baked goods near Reigate.  Each farm shop tends to specialise in something Recently we have seen some exciting new introductions, Bourne Valley at Addlestone and Village Greens at Ockley. Each farm shop has a good selection of local produce and their own specialism, for example Village Greens grow their own produce and work with local producers to give a unique range that you won’t find in any supermarket.  Another good way to find high quality local produce is to go to your nearest farmers’ market and don’t forget supermarkets who are also reacting to what their customers want.  
If you buy local food, not only will you be getting fresh, tasty produce but you are also helping to cut down on food miles. Fewer journeys means less exhaust emissions and that means less of the gases that lead to climate change.  So all in all it does make sense to buy local food.


Surrey Producers
Surrey has an eclectic range of artisan products to delight local customers and tourists alike.  Michaela at Norbury produces Norbury Blue cheese, a soft, creamy mild blue cheese with a loyal following. St Joans Farm dairy produce a range of creamy icecream in traditional classic flavours with milk fresh from the farm. Curry is Britain’s favourite food and in Surrey it is no different, so no surprise that Anilha’s Authentic Sauces are widely distributed both inside the county and across the rest of the UK. Over the last few years she has received a fistful of golds at the Great Taste Awards, If you haven’t tried one of her vegetable samosas then make a point of visiting her at one of the many farmers’ markets that she attends. If you are looking for an exceptional range of chutneys and marinades then look no further than newly formed Le Mesuriers. The name may not sound local, but Patrick LeMesurier, ex chef at famous restaurant Le Gavroche, is based at Dorking creating his own recipes. He takes advantage of local fruit and vegetables when in season.  For superlative home made marmalade and preserves seek out Autumn Preserves at local farm shops and farmers’ markets. For local honey, seek out The Hive Honey shop honey range produced by third generation beekeeper, James Hamill. In the last few years we have also seen the growth of specialist bakery items, Jo Barber at Good Temptations has the most delicious range of baked goods including Lemon Polenta cake, a best seller. Harvest Stores started by Karen Brewer specialises in gluten free baked goods and ready meals produced under the strictest controls to ensure no contamination.  

Farmers’ Markets
Farmers’ Markets are a great way to buy local food. At a farmers’ market you know that you will be talking to the producer and you can find out where your food comes from and how it has been produced. Going back just a decade, there weren’t any farmers’ markets in the UK and now there are over 500.  Today Surrey has 13 farmers’ markets across the county from Farnham in the west to Reigate in the east.  A couple of years ago, 2 ladies, passionate about local food, started their own community farmers’ market at Ripley. Now one of the most popular farmers’ markets in the county, it benefits from the support of the local community who turn out every second Saturday to stock up on their favourite local supplies. In turn, any profits from the farmers’ markets are fed back into the community such as buying a new scout hut for the local troop.  In the last 12 months we have seen 2 new markets come along at Haslemere and Byfleet.  The Haslemere farmers’ market was inspired by a group known as the Haslemere Initiative who came together to look at ways of regenerating the town centre and together they decided that they wanted a farmers’ market. Launched in September 2007 as part of the Haslemere Food Festival it was tremendously successful and now an ongoing monthly event.



For details of Surrey Farmers’ Markets see the Surrey Food Links web site click here…..