The National Trust last week announced the launch of a range of branded food and drink products. Starting with potatoes and beer, the range - which will include breads, biscuits, meat products and prepared foods - will go on sale in a phased launch from October 2009.
The products take their inspiration from the National Trust itself - both from the Trust's own produce and from traditional recipes in the Trust's extensive archive. This launch is a natural extension of the organisation's work in championing the very best of Britain's foods.
National Trust Pembrokeshire Potatoes will go into supermarkets in early October. The potatoes are grown on 420 acres of National Trust coastland at Trehill Farm, Pembrokeshire, which is managed for the Trust by tenant farmers Peter and Gina Smithies. Trehill has won numerous awards for high standards of environmental stewardship as well as the superior quality and taste of its potatoes.
The National Trust is one of the UK's largest owners of farmland with 500,000 acres of food-producing land and over 1,500 tenant farmers. It is supported by over 3.6 million members and 52,000 volunteers.