Food is GREAT Britain in South Africa

David Edmondson works at the British Consulate General Cape Town building commercial relationships in The Cape and supporting UK companies across South Africa in the Food and Drink, Agribusiness, Tourism and Leisure and Marine sectors. His colleagues in Cape Town focus on the Design and Creative sectors and they are part of a large UK Trade & Investment team based in Johannesburg.

Last Friday one lucky lady went to dinner at the Test Kitchen with three guests. The Test Kitchen is one of the best restaurants in South Africa and it’s run by British chef Luke Dale Roberts. The lady in question was the winner of the prize draw at our Food is GREAT Britain stand at the Good Food and Wine Show in Cape Town.

This marks the end of the public part of the Food is GREAT Britain campaign that started with Chris Trott and me hosting journalists for dinner during the Cape Town GREAT week in February (around the opening of Parliament). The centrepiece of the campaign was our stand at the Good Food and Wine Show in May at which we showcased modern British food and drink.

We had beautiful whisky and food pairings, delicious curries (Britain’s favourite food), gluten-free cakes and muffins that taste just like the original and some excellent beers. Britain also produces innovative packaging so we had some of that on the stand too.

The aim of the campaign was to change perceptions of British food. Gordon Ramsay had his photo taken on the stand in the midst of a public scrum but it was great publicity. Luke’s Eton Mess was the backdrop and the food journalists came along to try the goodies.

The strap line was a bit provocative and we received many questions on why “Food is GREAT Britain” in South Africa but a good proportion of the 50,000 visitors who saw our stand at the entrance will have gone away thinking differently about the UK food offer.

The next stage is to ensure commercial success follows and we’re doing well. The gluten-free company has not only found a retailer that wants the product but that retailer has now asked us to source more health foods from the UK. The beers were so good that the Cape Town beer festival has asked us to find companies to come out in November and another retailer may host a British Beer section.

We continue to look for innovative UK products to bring to South Africa so if you would like more information on food and agritech opportunities here, including the upcoming beer festival, please email me at david.edmondson2@fco.gov.uk.