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I must admit that I am excited about 2018, not only for my business but also others in the region.

Foundations have been built over the last year, with hard work and the support of the community I do feel that the food & drinks sector in East Anglia can only continue to improve.

Last year I set myself the task of trying a new place once a week. This year sees the expansion of #Tryjanuary which looks to support local pubs and breweries at a time when most of us are suffering from the excesses of the Christmas celebrations. I shall be following this with interest.

Where do I see other things for us to look forward too?

Redwell has new ownership and a new brewer (Belinda formally of Adnams and Woodfordes) with an ethos of using local suppliers in an attempt to bring Redwell back to its Norfolk roots.

Woodfordes have rebranded with a stronger link to Nelson. Some see this positively as the brewery moving with the times, others are sorry to see the end of the Wherry on the designs.

Lacons have their new brewery expanding their compacity so that we are seeing more of their beers across Norfolk and beyond.

Humpty Dumpty have some exciting plans for the future to celebrate their anniversary (more of this in the future).

Little Earth Project, Ampersand, Burnt Mills and Duration are just some of the new beer movement that have been hitting the headlines recently, with the sector continuing to expand and push the boundaries.

In February, Norwich will be holding the Great British Beer Festival Winter at St Andrews Hall. During the lead up to the festival there will be a Fringe festival to spread the positive impact across local business. They will also be holding a beer and fine dinning experience at the Maids Head Hotel as part of the launch. Show casing some of the regions best beer and food.

The regeneration of Norwich Market with its expanded food sector, now means that you can travel the world without leaving the market place. Yet more exciting is the growth of specialist food places in the region, from Vegan and Gluten Free restaurants, too places like Farmyard in Norwich opening their doors to support the community. We also have a range of Food & Drink festivals in the area that are recognised as some of the best in the country for awareness of Allergies as well as sustainability. 2017 saw the region winning a number of prizes for its produce, Candis Chutneys, Archers Butchers and Lacons Brewery to name just 3, this can only continue.

I also have a couple of projects that I hope will show case what a fantastic region we are lucky to live in, not just nationally but also on a global scale.

So yes, there will be hard times ahead (I’m not going to mention the ‘B’ word) but I am going to look to the future in a positive light.

Article By Cheryl Cade

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Email: Cheryl@thirstconsultants.com

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