A COUNTRY house in Staffordshire is looking local to celebrate British Food Fortnight.

Blakelands in Halfpenny Green will be marking two-weeks of national events to encourage people to make the most of home-produced food and drink.

The annual celebration began in 2002 to bring together initiatives aimed at rebuilding the nation's food industry after the foot and mouth crisis.

Customers at Blakelands will be able to taste a variety of produce, plus a range of British wines, ales and spirits.

Each night during the fortnight, which began on September 17, there will also be various special offers, to encourage people to try things that they might not have tasted before.

Blakelands owner, Heather Morgan, said: “We pride ourselves in using local produce on our menu wherever possible and are lucky enough to have some fantastic local producers within a very close radius.

"We even have one of the largest vineyards in England right on our doorstep at Halfpenny Green, who make award-winning English wines, as well as microbreweries such as Enville Ales just a short drive away.

"We use them in our cooking too, for dishes such as Enville Ale and Steak Puffy Pie, which is one of my personal favourites.”

Chefs at the restaurant will be using a variety of local produce over the fortnight including Shropshire lamb, steak and belly pork from Martin Thomas butchers in Pattingham; fruit and veg from W. H. Grinnall in Kidderminster and even their cooking oil will be from Bennett and Dunn in Shropshire.

The Blakelands restaurant is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, as well as Sunday lunch times. Pre-booking is essential.