Borders Homecoming Banquet

Passionate about local food - that's what sums up the Homecoming Borders Banquet -

Its of course my duty to sum up this evening and the whole Borders food homecoming event.

Thanks goes to many today -

Sponsors

Speakers

If any one thing is to be singled out it's the appearance of Sue Lawrence - She has been our Food Star- Masterchef 1991 - a good year obviously - and a Lady who has championed Good Scottish Food, not just in her books, but also on TV both in UK and Australia - Sue its been a privilege to meet you and thank you for your good work. And as your own book says "Taste Ye Back", your always welcome.

Ian Landles - an old friend of mine - few of you may know but Ian and I took part in Radio Scotland's "your word against mine" - kind of like a Call My Bluff in Scots - where we managed to get to the semi finals only to lose by one point - Ian of course is known as Hawick Man and I am glad that Ian has NOT wasted a day out of Hawick by coming here tonight - Ian's mother was always a good cook - typical of a Border Lady - she always gave Ian two choices with every course - that was Take it or Leave it.

Thank you Ian you've been most entertaining as usual.

• great animal lover - especially in a rich sauce

Oscar Wilde wisely said not to quarrel with your cook or you shall lose all your friends.

Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what's for lunch.

This Borders Food Network and final homecoming banquet, doesn't mark the end, but I believe a beginning. Perhaps even a renaissance in cuisine and good local food.

The Borders is a wonderful place,- and this fine castle is one of the best examples of our fine stately homes, which are often a product of our more bloody past, when the Borderers didn't care whether we were ruled by Edinburgh or London, we had our own type of Devolution which saw many of the Reiving families ruling the roost - families like Scott, Douglas, Murray, Trotter and Hume to name but a few, - so nothing much changes there - and we can boast to be the birthplace of common place words such as BlackMail and FreeLancer - not originally referring to a journalist but to a free lance willing to work with whoever would pay - mercenaries as we would now say. I of course, am not suggesting that journalism and being mercenary has any correlation, not much anyway.

But its our land that has formed who we are, we are lucky for it to be so diverse from montane scrub to deep alluvial soils --- seashore to high summits, these habitats have created experts in their fields great food producers from the high pastureland of the hills - some of the highest yielding class 1 grain and vegetable land in the world - we sometimes forget that our moist moderate climate suits well to growing the best of the best - and of course our marine harvest off the Berwickshire coast - where some of the finest languistines are caught and sold all over the world - in fact food has even become part of our culture of course with the Eyemouth Herring Queen.

And at this stage we should maybe remember why we celebrate this day in Scotland, not for some romantic notion of nationalism but to celebrate our patron saint, with the feast day of St Andrew, who would have felt absolutely at home in Eyemouth, himself being a fisherman and the Patron Saint of Fishermen - . And we should also remember that our patron Saint is also the patron saint of Butchers too, so how appropriate that is tonight.

And We are fortunate now to have a co-ordinator to facilitate what we already have - good food and great eating places, in our history soaked wonderful landscape.

The co-ordinator holds an important position to help the producers to access markets, hopefully accessing public agency procurement tenders, and not just here in the Borders but in the nearby huge markets of the local cities - who of course cannot access local food from within their own local authority boundaries - and I believe that's key for the likes of our own local authority and NHS to help with this, with breaking down contracts, demanding varieties, delivery time from producer to plate - other countries do it - we can too - but also we should be exploring the markets not far from our own boundaries in the City regions- others have started this process - such as East Ayrshire Council -and the benefits there are now public knowledge - not just economic benefits for the economy but also for health and for our environment.

In June at Parliament we set ambitious targets to reduce Carbon use in Scotland's Climate Change Bill - local food procurement can help public agencies to tackle their carbon challenge - it won't happen over night, but there is no good reason for it not to happen.

Of course its not just our food producers that this great event has highlighted to be of world class quality, but also the restaurateurs and hoteliers, of which we have many and many of the highest quality, we all look for ways to encourage visitors back to the Borders, but I can assure you that a great food experience, combined by quality service are always what people want. A unique selling point.

Ladies and Gentlemen to finish off, I hope you will allow me to indulge in a wee poem by Blumenkranz in praise of Beef.

Where's the Beef?

by Stephen Blumenkranz

I'd like to ask you, what's your beef?

Angus, heifer, steer, good grief,

There's kinds from every feudal fief

And many cuts to make it brief.

Some might like it chipped on toast.

Some prefer a charcoal roast.

Gravy braised, great Caesar's ghost,

It has to be the meat used most.

Tenderloin and ribs and ground,

Brisket, chuck and eye of round,

What way hasn't yet been found

To make it better, pound for pound?

You can make a lovely stew.

You can smoke or barbecue.

Each cut gives a different chew,

Depending on the way they hew.

You can buy it wrapped in plastic.

It's the best way. It's fantastic.

You can see if it looks drastic.

I don't mean to be sarcastic.

No one likes to buy it brown,

Even though they mark it down.

We reject it with a frown.

This is true in any town.

You might wonder where it goes?

There's so much that no one knows.

All I know is average Joes

Can buy a burger, though it's froze.

We eat beef in many ways.

It's here till the end of days.

How they make and feed and raise

And kill and cut deserves some praise.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Borders Food Homecoming Banquet has been a great success, as I said I believe this to be the beginning of a foody future for the Borders and for it to be recognised as THE place to come if your Passionate about food.