About Us
Proudly Norfolk is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to celebrating the amazingly diverse food and drink industry in Norfolk.
Celebrating food and drink in Norfolk!
- We promote, celebrate and support local food and drink producers, they are the Bounty of our County
- We help to inform residents and visitors about what is available here on our doorstep.
- We offer free business support to food and drink retailers, producers, restaurants and bars across the county.
- We work in partnership with local businesses & organisations which lend their support to the food and drink industry.
- Our message is simple – whatever you are interested in, get involved and help us celebrate!
We are proud to have Harriet & Jake Humphrey as our Patrons. As well as four of the county's best-loved and best-known chefs and restaurateurs as our patrons, supporting the work we do.
Patrons
Harriet & Jake Humphrey
Patrons
If you asked us to list our favourite things, both Norfolk and food would feature pretty highly! Therefore we’re are delighted to be supporting Proudly Norfolk.
We all know about the fine towns and cities, incredible open skies, vast rural fields and stunning beaches...but what about Norfolk’s hidden story? The story that this county offers unique, independent, world class food and catering products. From artisan chocolate, to incredible rapeseed oil. Wonderful beachfront fish and chip shops to city centre fine dining restaurants. We want to help Proudly Norfolk shout loud, and proud, about what Norfolk has to offer.
Managing Director at Brasted's
Nick Mills
Managing Director at Brasted's
After working in some of London’s finest hotels and restaurants, Nick joined Brasted’s as a part time waiter in 1991, whilst studying a BSc in Business Management and a BA in Hospitality; nine years later he was made Managing Director.
Nick has always had a huge passion for food, wine and is a tireless champion of Norfolk and it’s many and varied high quality food and drink producers.
He has been an integral member of the steering committee of Norfolk Food & Drink since it was founded in 2004.
“I am delighted and honoured to be a Patron of Norfolk Food & Drink Ltd. It has been wonderful to see it flourish from a weekend festival in 1994 to an all-year celebration of Norfolk Food & Drink. I have been an integral part of Brasted’s since 1991, well known for providing the highest quality in Norfolk Food & Service. Being totally immersed in Norfolk Hospitality, I am very proud of all the county’s producers, suppliers and retailers that deliver such an abundance of the finest food, drink and service. I love supporting the many and varied events throughout the year; after all what’s not to love about Norfolk.”
Owner and Head Chef Benedict's Restaurant, Norwich
Richard Bainbridge
Owner and Head Chef Benedict's Restaurant, Norwich
Being asked to be one of the Norfolk Food and Drink Patrons is definitely a career highlight for me. Norfolk Food & Drink is such a fantastic organisation for boosting Norfolk as a whole whether it's showcasing that incredibly passionate person who has an amazing recipe their family has been cooking for generations or a Farmer who is reintroducing a long forgotten breed of sheep back to the County. These are the people who truly create Norfolk's identity, whose families made Norfolk what it is and we must preserve these amazing traditions.
I am incredibily proud to be a small part of the Norfolk Food & Drink family by showing the wonderful produce and hard working people Norfolk has to offer.
Chef Proprietor, The Assembly House Norwich & Owner of Richard Hughes Cookery School
Richard Hughes
Chef Proprietor, The Assembly House Norwich & Owner of Richard Hughes Cookery School
I am delighted to be a patron of Norfolk Food & Drink. This is my 40th year involved in the hospitality industry and although I have worked out of the county at times, my career has predominantly been here in Norfolk and I have always been a supporter of food and drink in the county. I am honoured to be a patron and to being involved in the promotion of one of the UKs finest food and drink counties.
Dairy Farmer of Fen Farm Dairy and artisan cheese & butter producer
Jonny Crickmore
Dairy Farmer of Fen Farm Dairy and artisan cheese & butter producer
I've been a dairy farmer all my life, growing up on my family farm along the Waveney Valley, helping my father. In 2011 we did something so simple but different to other dairy farmers. We started selling our milk straight from the farm, raw and unprocessed. It caught people's imagination and with good TV and radio coverage, started the trend of dairy farmers selling their milk straight from the farm all around the UK. It became a "raw milk revolution".
From the moment we set up our milk shed, we realised that people were coming to our farm for a quality product and they kept coming back because it tasted so good.
Over the last 8 years we have developed Baron Bigod, the only raw milk Brie style cheese to be made in the UK. Alongside this, we also make Bungay Raw Butter, which is a raw cultured butter. These we now sell all around the UK to some of the best shops and restaurants out there.
I am very honoured and humbled to have been asked to be a patron of Norfolk Food & Drink as I love the part of the world in which I was born. I am fiercely proud of all the amazing products that come from our land and all the incredibly talented people that have grown their businesses here. Having a hub for people in the Norfolk food and drink industry is vitally important to help our industry grow and support the new and exciting people coming through, who will be our future."
Past Chair
Sarah de Chair
Past Chair
Sarah de Chair has a background and extensive experience in organising and running events and was the Show Manager at the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association for twelve years, prior to which she was helping to run Andrew Cuthbert Country Fairs all over the UK.
Sarah has been involved in Norfolk Food & Drink for twelve years, running the legendary and much-loved Battle of the Bangers and has also been Chairman of the Board for the past five years.
Here at Proudly Norfolk we know that many individuals across the county work tirelessly, very often volunteering their time, to champion the wonderful food and drink of which we are so proud here in Norfolk. So we have created a very special tier of recognition within Norfolk Food & Drink – that of Honorary Patron. Please do take a moment to read more about these amazing individuals...
Chef Proprietor, Morston Hall Hotel Chef Proprietor, No1 Restaurant.
Galton Blackiston
Chef Proprietor, Morston Hall Hotel Chef Proprietor, No1 Restaurant.
Galton and his wife Tracey have owned Morston Hall for 20 years, firmly establishing it as one of Britain’s leading country hotels and receiving multiple awards for hospitality and catering. Galton has held a Michelin star for 14 years and is also UK Craft Guild of Chefs ‘Chef of the year’, East Anglian Chef of the Year and fellow of the craft guild of chefs. His television appearances include Anglia Television, Gary Rhodes Food Heroes, Market Kitchen, Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen.
Director, Strattons Hotel
Vanessa Scott
Director, Strattons Hotel
It is a great privilege to be asked to be a patron of the Norfolk Food & Drink Festival as the aims of it are essentially a key business driver for my own business – Strattons Hotel & CoCoes Deli. Put simply – the Festival aims to recognise and celebrate all that is special to the location that we operate in – from people to products to landscape which all combine to create the fabulous and unique visitor experience. So let’s celebrate the very best of Norfolk and champion this amazing food county!
Proudly Norfolk champions are chosen from different points in our food supply chain as respected and influential people in their industry. The champions' role is to be ambassadors of Proudly Norfolk - to help to raise public awareness and to showcase Norfolk's food and drink offering from larger producers and processors to the much smaller producers. Champions aim to bring communities together with shared values and interest for food and share ideas of where and how to buy, cook and enjoy great food and drink to improve quality of life and work. So we interviewed them to find out more about who they are and what they hope to achieve in their tenure as champion...
General Content Manager and Food & Drink Editor at Archant
Charlotte Smith-Jarvis
General Content Manager and Food & Drink Editor at Archant
Charlotte Smith-Jarvis is the general content manager for Archant and has been the food and drink editor for nearly 10 years. Charlotte has a passion for food, especially local ingredients, and champions East Anglian producers in any way she can. She produces recipes and content for the East of England Co-op’s Sourced Locally range and returns this year as an expert judge in the society’s Producer of the Year awards. Charlotte is delighted to be able to help put Norfolk businesses on the map in partnership with Proudly Norfolk.
Manager for Adnams stores in Westlegate and Unthank Road Norwich
Jodie Sibley
Manager for Adnams stores in Westlegate and Unthank Road Norwich
My name is Jodie Sibley and I’ve worked for Adnams for nearly four years. I went travelling in 2015 to Australia and New Zealand and spent a lot of my time learning about wine. When I returned to Norwich I was passionate about learning more, and started my career in the drinks industry. I love food and drink and enjoy traveling to different places and trying out the local cuisines! I’m also am very proud to live in Norwich and to eat local produce and support local food and drink businesses.
Chief food and drink reporter Norwich for Archant/Norfolk
Lauren Cope
Chief food and drink reporter Norwich for Archant/Norfolk
I've been writing about food and drink in Norfolk for the last seven years, and am honoured to now be leading Archant's coverage of the industry in Norfolk. I'm a member of the Guild of Food Writers, a keen home cook and love sampling the wonderful places to eat and drink in Nelson's County. I look forward to working with Proudly Norfolk to celebrate an industry we should all take pride in.
Norfolk Home Chef of the Year 2019
Christopher Payne
Norfolk Home Chef of the Year 2019
I’m Chris Payne, Norfolk born and bred. I briefly escaped for University and I do enjoy a nice holiday or two (sometimes more) a year, where good food and great wine feature heavily.
By day, I’m a Digital IT Director at Aviva and at the evenings and weekends, I transform Clarke Kent styley into the IT Boy Who Bakes... cooks, gardens, scoffs and imbibes good wine and craft beer. I have a real passion for encouraging people to keep it as local as possible, buy real food, cook and eat real food and enjoy real food with the people they love.
I’m well known amongst family and friends for my sourdough bread, baking, patisserie and Sunday roasts. And I just love to work with fabulous local produce.
In 2019, I lifted the Norfolk Home Chef of the Year title which makes me proud, pleased and even more determined to celebrate our incredible local producers (they featured heavily in my winning menu) and spread the word about cooking and eating real food. It’s fair to say I am very Proudly Norfolk.
Proudly Norfolk is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. This means that it is run by a Board of Directors who are voted into post. The Directors are all unpaid and are experts in their field, bringing to the table their own unique skill set, which ensures that Proudly Norfolk is professionally managed and realises its goals and ambitions.
Andy Orchard
Andy Orchard has a long and established successful background in commercial media management which includes publishing activity, across newsprint, digital, specialist publications and broadcast channels in regional press spanning over 25 years.
Prior to re-locating to Norfolk, seven years ago from the South West with his family, Andy held various senior general management roles with responsibility for publishing activity in Cornwall, Somerset, Bristol & Wiltshire regions for both UK and International media brands, notably the regional press division of the Daily Mail & General Trust, Northcliffe Media and Newsquest Media Regional Group part of Gannett, publishers of USA today.
Currently Sales Director for the Archant media group in Norfolk, Andy is responsible for all commercial publishing activity for the award wining Eastern Daily Press, EDP24 media and social brands, plus many other Norwich and Norfolk digital and newsprint brands, magazines and commercial events published and organised by Archant.
‘I am delighted to join such an active and important organisation, promoting the Proudly Norfolk brand and working with people who are so passionate about the food & drink sector in this wonderful county which I now call home’.
James Archer
James 'Jamie' Archer is a third generation butcher from Norwich.
He has been in the butchery trade since he was 13 apart from a short stint as a photographer’s assistant before returning to his roots in the family business in 1995.
Provenance and animal welfare is at the heart of his business, sourcing 95% of his produce from local farmers and producers. He is also a big believer in the importance of quality and customer service, being vital to the survival of a small business in this day and age of large cost cutting multiples. He tells us he loves being involved in local events such as the Norfolk Food festival and Porkstock as well as being a keen cyclist in what spare time he has left (not much we'd imagine!).
Sarah Daniels
Sarah is a Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner by profession. She founded the bespoke Health and Safety Consultancy The RedCat Partnership Ltd in 1999, after she found that helping people suited her skill set & personality more than the Enforcement work she was doing! As if running one business wasn’t enough she opened No8 Thorpe Road in 2014 to provide RedCat with its own Training rooms.
No8 also rents out its spare capacity to others- it has 3 meeting/ training rooms plus permanent office and intermittent co-working spaces. No8 offers an exceptional personal service, including catering which is prepared on site using Norfolk’s larder of fine ingredients, and of course we are members of Proudly Norfolk.
Sarah is somewhat evangelical about all things Norfolk and Food related!
Stephen Newham
Stephen Newham was born in Norfolk, in his own words ‘briefly leaving’ the county to study politics at university before deciding to start a career in food and drink in London. After several years of missing Norfolk, he moved back to start a new journey with Crush Foods and has never looked back.
Jane Shuttler
Jane has been providing accounts support since 2016 while running her own business, also assisting with members’ events and festivals for Proudly Norfolk.
As well as her own Book Keeping business, she volunteers as the “Patients Representative” for Central and West Norfolk for End of Life Care, where she endeavours to see that an Honest, Compassionate, Cohesive service is provided to all.
Mary Wright
I am delighted to be involved with Proudly Norfolk Food & Drink. I have always been interested in locally produced food having been involved with agriculture and other aspects of the industry for several years including being responsible for the livestock and other sections at the Royal Norfolk Show a few years ago.
As Festival coordinator I think the various events are a great way of offering the Proudly Norfolk members a chance to be able to showcase their products and any other goods to the visitors that attend the festivals held across the County as well as those in the City.
We have a County with producers and many others involved in the industry offering great quality goods, let’s be proud to celebrate it and go out and enjoy ourselves at the same time – see you at a Festival – the bounty of the county.
Andrew Shorthose
Andrew, like so many of us, heard the pub calling as a teenager. Unlike most of us Andrew enjoyed it so much he made it his career. Today he still enjoys the delight that quality service can bring - so much so that he also volunteers as an Enterprise Advisor to show school pupils what a great life Hospitality can provide.
Andrew brings a wealth of knowledge to Proudly Norfolk and is very much looking forward to drawing on his varied experiences in his role as a critical friend to the organisation.