2010 Year of Food plan for Wirral

Plans for Wirral’s Year of Food in 2010 have been revealed.

The borough is currently bidding for European funding to help boost tourism to the area.

Among the events planned are a four-day amateur golf tournament and a Christmas Gourmet Fair to be held in the historic Port Sunlight.

The gourmet event showcasing the borough’s best food producers, restaurants and retailers will be launched during Wirral’s planned “Year of Food” in 2010, and will incorporate the now established Food and Drink Festival, as well as the annual Chef Shine competition.

The Christmas fair will feature demonstrations, tastings and workshops, and will be delivered by members of the Food Partnership, including the national award-winning organisers of the Wirral Farmers’ Market, Food and Drink Festival organisers, and Port Sunlight Village Trust.

Juggy Landay, of Wirral Council’s tourism department, said the gourmet festival and golf championship were dependent on a bid for European funding being approved.

Mr Landay said: “We are being led by visitor research carried out for us by Ipsos MORI in 2006. It highlighted ‘coast, countryside and quality food’, and our target audience is primarily in the North-West.”

A report to Wirral Council’s ruling cabinet, which meets on Thursday, highlighted the success of the Wirral Food Festival, which will return in August for the fourth year and which attracted more than 26,000 visitors last year.

The authority is bidding for £300,000 match-funding for the tourism scheme.

The report by deputy chief executive Jim Wilkie said it aims to “help local tourism businesses sustain and increase trade, during the current national economic downturn”.