Kokova Magazine

Following the success of Love British Food (LBF) 2012 when British Food Fortnight (BFF) was held during the Olympics and its school activities were part of the Diamond Jubilee, this year the national food promotion reverts to its traditional Autumn date and takes place 21st September to 6th October 2013.

The event is the biggest showcase of food on the national calendar and celebrates its twelfth year with more activities than ever before for people to get involved, with a particular emphasis on schools, communities and young people.

What's Happening?

A Harvest Lottery for schools; a challenge to find the community organising the most imaginative and inclusive harvest celebration; a call to the young to create a new harvest anthem; and culminating in a huge British Food Fortnight Harvest celebration at Westminster Abbey. Plus the event's annual drive to encourage shops, pubs and restaurants to run British food promotions during the Fortnight.

Bring Home the Harvest in your Community: In association with The Telegraph, LBF are searching the British Isles to find the farmer, business or community that organises the most innovative, inclusive and imaginative harvest celebration during British Food Fortnight.

The winners will be selected by a panel of judges from the world of food and farming including: The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Raymond Blanc, Alan Titchmarsh and Philip Clarke, chief executive of Tesco - and will be featured in The Telegraph and presented with The Telegraph & Love British Food Best Harvest Celebration 2013 trophy by The Secretary of State.

Britain's first digital harvest celebration In association with the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs and working with the Scouts and The Girls Brigade, LBF are asking young people everywhere to get rapping, writing and singing and create a harvest anthem for today: a new 'We plough the fields and scatter', a new harvest number one to inspire a new generation. The piece will become the anthem for this year's British Food Fortnight and will be judged by experts from the music industry and leaders from national youth organisations.

Harvest Lottery for schools: All schools in the UK are being invited to enter a Harvest Lottery to win their place in Westminster Abbey at a spectacular British Food Fortnight harvest service that is being held especially for children in October.

To enter the lottery, schools are being asked to create a harvest box that celebrates the food produced in their part of the country. Each harvest box will need to contain three elements: fruit and vegetables the children have grown themselves; food they have cooked in class; and a selection of food from local producers in their part of the country.

800 children will be selected by lottery to join VIPs and celebrities in Westminster Abbey where their harvest boxes will be presented and distributed to members of the community afterwards.

Harvest fare on shop shelves and menus: Pubs and restaurants, from the small to the very big food service outlets, led by ARAMARK, the event's long standing sponsor, are invited to join in with celebratory harvest menus during British Food Fortnight.

And shops, from small independents to the major supermarkets, are invited to highlight the harvest in store with special food promotions and offers to get their customers involved.

The horse meat scandal has shocked consumers into reconsidering where their food comes from and buying British has risen substantially on their agenda. There really does now seem to be a recognition that if you want quality, fully traceable food with the assurance that it has been produced to high standards and is what it says on the packet, then you are best buying British. We could be entering a hey-day for British food so what better time to reinvigorate the traditional way of celebrating it.

We want to bring Harvest Festival into the 21st century and make it relevant and fun in the modern day. This year's British Food Fortnight is all about showing that everyone can get involved in celebrating the harvest: at home or at work, in your local pub, on your street, out shopping, in your children's school or online. After all, we're all but a few generations removed from the land.

Alexia Robinson, Organiser, Love British Food

To find out how you can take part, download promotional material, sign up for monthly updates on the latest British food news and for details of what is happening near you, see www.lovebritishfood.co.uk