STEVE RAMSHAW IS CROWNED NORTH EAST LOCAL FOOD HERO

Following months of campaigning, the all important votes have been counted, the experts have had their say and it’s finally time to reveal that Steve Ramshaw has been crowned Local Food Hero for the North East region.  

The response from the public has been overwhelming with over 42,201 votes cast from 3^rd July to 21^st August.  This is in addition to the 3,852 outlets nominated, ranging from cafes in Wales to smokers in Scotland and over 14,400 reviews, all of which can still be accessed at www.uktvfood.co.uk .

In addition to huge public support, Steve was championed by celebrity chef Brian Turner and was put forward with 7 other nominees as one of the North East’s strongest contenders.

Once at Food HQ, Steve bowled the judges over with the sheer quality of his meat and his principles on animal welfare and husbandry – especially as he doesn’t come from a farming background.  Steve came to farming 25 years ago after living in the depressed areas of inner city Newcastle .  He bought the 750 acre derelict farm, which had been earmarked for intensive forestry production, and set about revitalizing it.  No small task and this entailed him building all the dwellings himself and planting 40,000 trees to provide shelter for the animals.    

Steve’s passion for his farm, conservation and animals is evident in the running of the farm.  He manages the 750 acres in a traditional way so that all the animals have plenty of space to roam and graze and can tell customers exactly which cow the meat came from (and probably its mother and father!)

Steve will now have to battle against the other 9 regional winners for the title of Local Food Hero 2006. The final will be shown on December 1^st at 8pm on UKTV Food