ONE West Devon pub has cancelled its popular Beaujolais Nouveau evening next month in response to the French Government's refusal to lift the ban on British beef, writes Alan Gregory.
Instead of celebrating the latest new French wines, rushed over the channel, with a continental menu, the Peter Tavy Inn is staging a 'Support the South West' evening.
'We have cancelled the Beaujolais Nouveau evening,' said owner Karen Sim. 'We are a pub in the heart of rural Devon — we should support the local farmers. All the food for this event comes from local farmers.'
Mrs Sim said they had been unable to get local wine to accompany the dinner, but would be serving English vintages.
She admitted it did look like they had jumped on the anti-French bandwagon, but explained there was more to it than that.
'We decided to do this a couple of weeks ago — we feel that the farmers are going through a hard enough time as it is, so anything we can do to support them would be a very good thing,' said Mrs Sim.
Starters include Somerset brie and Cornish garlic mushrooms. Devon beef tops the list of main courses, with a choice including Cornish smoked salmon, English roast lamb, collops of pork and barbican fish platter. Local fruits dominate the sweet menu and English cheeses round it off.
The event takes place on November 18, reservations are essential.