Farmers urged Suffolk shoppers to back British farming yesterday at a series of events around the county to mark the first anniversary of the EU referendum.
Suffolk Food Friday, a National Farmers' Union (NFU) initiative aimed to highlight the importance of home-grown produce and the contribution that farming also makes to Suffolk's countryside and the rural economy.
NFU members gave away free recipe booklets, offering tastings and giving people the chance to win a hamper of British food at four events at Tesco in Beccles, Arc Shopping Centre in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich Morrisons, and Waitrose in Sudbury.
County chairman Colin Clifton-Brown said it was a 'fantastic opportunity' for people to meet the farmers who produce their food and to find out why farming is so important in the county.
'Only 60% of the food we eat in the UK is currently home-produced,' he pointed out.
'There are huge opportunities to grow more British food, with public support. This will become even more important as we leave the EU.
'We also want to raise awareness of the Red Tractor logo, which shows that the food you buy has been produced on a British farm and meets comprehensive standards from farm to fork.'
At Tesco in Beccles, farmers are teaming up with Ladies in Pigs, who cooked tasty samples of Red Tractor sausages.
The NFU joined forces with Ladies in Pigs at the Arc Shopping Centre in Bury St Edmunds, where the public tried out chocolate brownies made with bacon. There was also be a Red Tractor-branded Massey Ferguson tractor, supplied by Thurlow Nunn Standen.
Farmers took a red tractor to Morrisons in Sproughton Road, Ipswich and Waitrose in Station Road, Sudbury.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here