THE EYES of the culinary world were on Stansted Park on Saturday as a “food hub of deliciousness” was opened by a judge from the Great British Bake Off programme.
Prue Leith praised Fred Duncannon and Sam Edden for their “obsession” with showcasing local produce before cutting the ribbon to their farm shop.
The large crowd was also treated to some celebrity fare as former Masterchef winner, Thomasina Miers, cooked up a Mexican feast for excited guests.
Messrs Duncannon and Edden discussed plans to create a “proper local food hub” for the West Sussex and Hampshire area nearly a decade ago.
A £37,000 grant from the Sussex Downs and Coastal Plains Action Group and a crowdfunding campaign which brought 270 donations helped make their dream to become a reality.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Mr Edden. “We have nearly 95 producers within 30 miles of Stansted and we’re just trying to bring it all together.”
Mr Duncannon paid special tribute to the pair’s friends and family for their support before Chichester MP, Gillian Keegan, called the shop a “great advert” for the area’s producers.
And after being handed the scissors by Mr Duncannon, Prue lauded the ethos of the team at the “beautiful” farm shop along with the importance of eating healthily and well.
She said: “I have seen many, many farm shops but few with quite the love and the dedication and the professionalism and the shared obsession that these guys have done.
“I think children ought to learn to eat well just as much as they need to learn maths or English or anything else like that.
“We all agree this is the right thing to do and these guys are winning at it.”