Business leaders enjoy a Taste of Hyndburn culinary tour

A group of #AmazingAccrington business leaders enjoyed a mouthwatering tour of six local award-winning Hyndburn food outlets, as they embarked on a flagship ‘Taste of Hyndburn' event, as part of the 2024 Accrington Food & Drink Festival.

Hosted by local chef and owner of The Crafty Fox, Paul Fox, and travelling on a heritage open top bus courtesy of the Town and District Transport Trust based in Great Harwood, the food tour of Hyndburn started at The Globe Centre in Accrington Town Centre and visited three cafes and restaurants in the town.

First up was The Crafty Fox, a restaurant based on Abbey Street offering premium craft beer brewed with love, knowledge, and care and a freshly cooked homemade plate of food. Visitors from the Taste of Hyndburn event enjoyed a taste of the ‘Crafty' with some delicious sharing platters including their speciality, salt and pepper chicken. Specials on the menu included Queenie Scallops and Venison Haunch.

Next up was Café Ri-An on Stanley Street in Accrington, a family-owned restaurant, specialising in breakfast and great coffee. Guests visiting as part of the tour got to enjoy some fantastic nibbles from their menu, including their extremely popular giant sausage rolls to take away.

The final stop in Accrington was to the 2 Sisters Café and Bistro on Warner Street. Great food including pork cabbage rolls and ribs combined with warm Romanian hospitality welcomed the Taste of Hyndburn open top bus, as well as a spectacular buffet of food to tuck into and goodie bags too.

Back on the bus and off to Great Harwood, where Brie Mine and tasters from their cheese delicatessen awaited - mini grazing cups with chorizo to accompany Lancashire Tasty cheese. Winner of the Hyndburn Business Award for Creative Business 2023 and the Hyndburn Beacon Award 2023 for overall business of 2023, Brie Mine also hosted a special pick ‘n' mix cart at the Accrington Food Festival, which sold out on the day.

Staying in Great Harwood and the Taste of Hyndburn tour then headed for award winning Holy Cannoli, a plant-based brunch restaurant run by Rachel Hamilton, who's passionate about healthy and delicious food, creating a menu filled with fresh dishes made with locally sourced ingredients - plus a delicious cocktail menu. They took over their whole restaurant for the Taste of Hyndburn event, presenting a food extravaganza showcasing the very best from their summer menu.

With one final stop on the agenda, the Taste of Hyndburn open top bus travelled to Oswaldtwistle and to Sean and Erica at The Britannia Tap + Grill, winner of the Lancashire Pub of the Year. They have a superb menu to suit everyone with their speciality being steaks dry aged on site then finished on the purpose-built Bertha Grill. Keen to get stuck into their fabulous menu, the Taste of Hyndburn visitors thoroughly enjoyed mouthwatering tasters including battered chipolatas and honey and maple glazed chorizo to end the tour in style.

Murray Dawson, chair of #AmazingAccrington, said: "It has been wonderful to get a group of people together and showcase to them how many fantastic food outlets we have here in Hyndburn. We can't thank the participating outlets enough for their generosity and their unbelievable food!"

Stuart Nevison, chairman of Globe Enterprises Ltd, said: "We have had a fantastic afternoon at many eclectic and fabulous eating places in Hyndburn. Who knew there was so many boltholes for anybody to spend so much time at. I need to get out more…"

"What has also been so fantastic is that so many different business people have been able to meet on the bus and have a great networking event. It has been great and the weather has held, which isn't very common for our town, but we've had a great time, thank you #AmazingAccrington."

Stephen Lowe, BBC Radio Lancashire presenter, said: "It has been a superb day all around Hyndburn, what a festival of food that we have seen, genuinely some of the greatest food that I have eaten in many a year. Be a tourist in your own town, get down to Hyndburn, get something in your belly, get some drink down you, it is a superb place to be and we've got the best of the best."

Charlotte Scheffman, dean of higher education at the Nelson & Colne College Group, commented: "I have had the pleasure of being with a group of great business leaders from Hyndburn. We have been round lots of food outlets, which we rate very highly in our area and I know now where I'm going out for a meal next. It has just been fantastic."

Keep up to date with the latest updates and announcements from #AmazingAccrington by visiting www.amazingaccrington.co.uk