‘Home of Cricket’ bowls out cherries for new season
Lord’s, the Home of Cricket, is to champion the revival of the British cherry, incorporating the fruits into fine dining menus, buffets and the Ground’s renowned afternoon tea.
In keeping with the Ground’s progressive sustainability policy and focus on using local suppliers, Lord’s is commencing the cricket season by joining the CherryAid campaign and championing the British cherry throughout the cherry season. Spearheaded by Henrietta Green, founder of FoodLoversBritain.com, CherryAid campaigns for the revival of the British cherry.
A true taste of summer, the fruit is battling the economics of homogenous purchasing patterns and the costs of growing and maintaining the orchards which reportedly shrank from around 40,000 acres in the 1940s to under 1,000 in 2008. However, recent developments of hardier varieties of the fruit which now mature quickly and lend themselves to mechanised harvesting means that the domestic supply of fruit is more plentiful, and there is less reliance on overseas imports.
Strawberries have become synonymous with the UK’s iconic sporting events and Lord’s is looking to ally cherries to its quintessential English reputation. Fans of the game will already recognise that a cherry is the name given to a new ball and it is anticipated that cricket lovers will embrace and endorse the CherryAid campaign.
During cherry season, from late June to the beginning of August, British varieties of the fruit, including Early Rivers, Napoleon, Merton Glory and Elton Heart, will be served across the Ground’s corporate hospitality venues.
Lord’s is set to host over 70 days of cricket in the summer as well as being centre stage for private and corporate events held throughout the Ground. All suppliers to Lord’s are chosen for their CSR credentials, and where possible, the mileage in the supply chain is kept to a minimum.
Lord’s Head Chef, Steve Smith said: “We are proud to be lending our name at Lord’s to CherryAid, by backing the British cherry. It is imperative that Britain’s small farmsteads are supported and that they can survive the drain that overseas cherry suppliers place on suppliers on our own doorstep.”
Henrietta Green, founder of FoodLoversBritain.com said: “The synergy between CherryAid and Lord’s is fantastic and I am looking forward to raising the awareness of British cherries throughout summer 2010 and beyond”.
