Tom Kerridge swaps Britain for Italy in new food travelogue
Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge heads to Italy for his latest food travel series, touring six regions in a vintage food truck to meet small growers and producers — from blood orange growers in Sicily to truffle hunters in Emilia-Romagna. Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy launches on ITV1 and ITVX this week (16th July), continuing the format that previously saw him tour Britain and Spain meeting the people behind the ingredients. I've been lucky enough to meet Tom quite a few times (as you can see from today's title picture). He's a good guy who made sure my mum was well looked after plus he cooks my sort of food so'll definitely be tuning in.
Source: itv.com
Rural Britain's best crowned at the "Rural Oscars"
The Countryside Alliance held its annual awards ceremony at the House of Lords on Wednesday 8 July, crowning national champions across five categories including best butcher, best local food and drink, and best village shop. County Durham's Broom House Farm took the butcher title, Cumbria's Kendal Farmers Market won local food and drink, and Cambridgeshire's Elton Village Store — once a long-empty building, now a thriving community hub — claimed the village shop crown, with Pembrokeshire's community-run pub Tafarn Sinc and Carmarthenshire's Welsh Organic Tannery also honoured. No mention of it on the link below but I sincerely hope the chap on the left also picked up 'Best Sideburns of 2026' too.
Source: countryside-alliance.org
Strawberry Fields puts down roots in North Devon
Devon farm shop favourite Strawberry Fields opened its fifth site, Aller Cross, in South Molton on Wednesday 8 July — its first foray into North Devon. The new coffee shop and farm shop sells bread, pasties and cakes baked daily at the company's Lifton bakery, alongside locally sourced produce and butchery, building on a flagship store recently named National Best Large Farm Shop of the Year.
Source: northdevongazette.co.uk
Lymington toasts ten years of seafood and local flavour
The Lymington Seafood Festival celebrated its tenth birthday on the Hampshire coast from 10 to 12 July, with more than 80 stalls of seafood and New Forest produce, local chefs championing sustainable catches, and a new drinks stage showcasing regional brewers and distillers. It's a reminder of how much independent food and drink talent sits along this stretch of coastline. Hopefully if you're local you saw this in our guide to the month's food festivals and enjoyed a cracking day out.
Source: lymingtonseafoodfestival.co.uk