“Give us your fruit and veg in exchange for a night out”, says Cotswold restaurant

The Priory Inn hotel and restaurant in Tetbury is encouraging local gardeners to exchange their surplus fruit or vegetables for food and drink vouchers.

The local farms, growers and suppliers supplying to the restaurant will be given vouchers in return - to the current market value of the goods they donate - which they can use against food, drink or even hotel stays at The Priory Inn.

Director Dave Kelly said: "Any keen gardener goes through head-scratching periods of time in the summer and autumn when they don't know what to do with all the food their plot has produced. True to old-fashioned bartering systems and values, we exchange this high quality produce for Priory Inn vouchers and our chefs work on getting the food out to our customers' plates that same day.

"We have regular visits from local people who bring us their freshly harvested vegetables: runner beans, courgettes, tomatoes and radishes, soft fruits and berries and also armfuls of delicate herbs. The end result for them is an evening with us - possibly enjoying the food they have grown - and no cash exchanges hands. It gives everyone a great sense of satisfaction with the world!"

The Priory Inn launched its "30 Mile Food Zone" in November 2008 as a commitment to supporting local businesses and providing local food and drink to its customers.

Currently up to 90% of its food is now grown, produced or supplied from within 30 miles of Tetbury. Just this summer all the major brands of lager were replaced by local lager brewed by the family-owned Cotswold Brewing Company.

Words: Maria Bracken

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