THERE'S still time for hopefuls aiming to be the next best local food and drink producers to enter the 2020 Food Glorious Food campaign.

Budding entrepreneurs who enter could be in with the chance of securing a £10,000 cash injection and an exclusive listing in selected Co-op Midcounties Food stores.

Finalists will go head-to-head in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style competition where they will pitch their best ideas to a panel of industry experts, including the likes of celebrity chef Phil Vickery and Countryfile’s Adam Henson.

The competition seeks to highlight all that is great about food and drink and is open to existing producers, farmers looking to diversify or anyone with a great idea.

The winner will receive a £10,000 cash investment along with an exclusive listing in selected Co-op Midcounties Food stores.

Phil Ponsonby, CEO Co-op Midcounties, said: “Supporting locally produced food and drink will always be a strong commitment of ours and the Food Glorious Food competition provides a great platform for the most creative minds in Gloucestershire to showcase their innovative new ideas or existing products.

“We’re looking forward to spotting the next big food and drink products and supporting the producers on their exciting journeys. We’d encourage all budding entrepreneurs ready to take the next step to enter to be in with a chance of giving their existing products a boost or turning their concepts into a reality on our shop shelves.”

Last year’s winning products came from local producer Deborah Flint, owner of Cinderhill Farm in Lydney with her ‘Sausage Roll of Exceeding Enormity’ and ‘Foggy Pasty’, which are now on the supermarket’s shelves, as well as Midcounties’ stores in Gloucestershire.

Deborah said: “The Food Glorious Food competition was a really fantastic initiative to be involved in and has been a key part in fuelling the growth of our business. The £10,000 investment has meant we’ve been able to hire four more members of staff to respond to the increase in demand for our products. 

“The commitment Co-op Midcounties has to supporting local producers is second to none so we’d encourage anyone starting out with a great food or drink idea to take the next leap and enter the competition."

The closing date is Friday, January 31. To enter, go to bestofourcounties.coop/food-glorious-food/