National Cherry Day 2009

On Saturday, 18th July 2009, Cherry Lovers across the nation will join together for the second annual National Cherry Day from. Building on the success of the 2008 campaign, there will be more events taking place around the country so wherever you are in the land, you can join in the fun and enjoy British cherries at their juicy best.

Borough Market
A highlight will be three, cherry-filled days at London’s Borough Market between 16th and 18th July with tastings of different cherry varieties and producers creating special cherry-based products. A Cherry Bake is open to all at Borough Market on 18th July, starting at 2:30pm, when Henrietta Green and a panel of celebrity chefs including Taste The Nation’s Ed Baines and Konstam’s Oliver Rowe will be judging your baked wonders. Sweet or savoury – from cakes to breads, sauces, jams and pies – it can be anything that takes your fancy as long as you’ve made it yourself with British cherries. You must register online at www.FoodLoversBritain.com/CherryBake to take part and bring your cherry dish on the day.

Eat British Cherries Out and About
The finest thing about British cherries is their taste. Grown for flavour and free from the effects of being carted half way around the world, our cherries are simply delicious. Making the most of this year’s crop, dozens of restaurants around the country will be flying the flag on National Cherry Day by featuring cherry dishes on their menus. These range from local pubs like The Harrow Inn in Wiltshire to the eponymous Tom Ilic, Anna Hansen’s The Modern Pantry and Barny Haughton’s Bordeaux Quay.

Cherry Orchards
Amongst the activities being organised for National Cherry Day, Rent-a-Cherry Tree orchards on the Kent/East Sussex border offer a novel option for true cherry lovers. For £35 a year, the entire crop of a selected tree is yours to pick during the season. Grow at Brogdale near Faversham will have cooking demonstrations, orchard walks and cherry tastings to share the delights of its huge number of traditional varieties.

British Cherry Shopping
A long-standing champion of the British cherry industry and the biggest retailer of British cherries during the season, M&S will be supporting CherryAid by holding tastings at selected stores throughout the country. Meanwhile online health food delivery outfit, Pure Package are including British cherries in the health snack package on National Cherry Day itself. Other cherry treats include white chocolate cherry brownies from Everything Nice, Cherry Cordial from Belvoir and cherry chocolate truffles from Wicked Fruit.

FoodLoversBritain.com
As the virtual HQ for CherryAid, FoodLoversBritain.com will point the way for you to get involved. Visit the site to find details of a whole glut of goodies including: places where the whole family can pick their own cherries; more farm shops, local independent retailers and other FoodLovers Approved places selling British cherries and cherry-based treats, plus how to join in at home, with recipes from top chefs including Raymond Blanc, Mark Hix, Rowley Leigh and Gordon Ramsay.

Although the market may be flooded by ever cheaper and often bland foreign imports, thankfully, our cherry does have a future. The value of traditional and heritage varieties to our landscape, wildlife, culture and local livelihoods is at last being recognised. Backing up the old guard, new varieties have been developed to be more resilient to our climate, mature quickly and grow on smaller trees that are easier to harvest. These factors give the potential for a renewed, plentiful and stable domestic supply of cherries.

If you care about the taste of the food you eat and where it comes from, National Cherry Day is your chance to play your part in the revival of a natural national treasure.

For a full listing of all cherry events happening across the country, recipes and to register for the Cherry Bake please visit www.FoodLoversBritain.com and click on the CherryAid logo.