Taste Tideswell

A recent development within Tideswell is the Taste Tideswell project, now existing within the village. Unique in Derbyshire and assisted by Lottery funding, the programme has been created to make the village a thriving and prosperous community, able to sustain itself by it's own ability to produce and retail food, trebling the size of the local food economy and seeking renown by it's own success. The new Tideswell School of Food is now a centre piece in the village for the project. 

What they are doing?

They are going to treble the local food economy by developing their artisan food industry and improving everyone’s expertise in growing, making, cooking, and selling good food. They intend to make Tideswell famous, with a reputation and capability in food summed up in a nationally known and trusted brand - Taste Tideswell.

Intended benefits to Tideswell:

Provide greater opportunities for employment, income and wealth.

Reverse the decline in local retail business.

Promote social cohesion and pride in place.

Improve the availability of local produce.

Improve understanding of the provenance of food and improve culinary and horticultural skills within the community.

Increased share of the tourism market.

Establish assets that will sustain a food industry

Benefits to others:

Establish a replicable means of revitalising a village and an economy that will inspire other communities. They look to develop a “toolkit” that helps others to copy.

What they intend to establish in their first year -  2010 -2011:

GROW IT – Community activities to encourage people to “give growing a go!”, creation of a ‘resource library’ to allow people to rent equipment required for growing, provide expertise, create a community kitchen garden at the back of The Institute

COOK IT – establish a cookery school in part of the Markovitz’s Courtyard for visitors and community alike; establish an “incubation kitchen” that can be used by budding producers and existing producers to try out new products and expand capacity

SELL IT – Taste Tideswell brand with licensing scheme for retailers and caterers, brand communication and marketing, Catering endorsement/quality mark, online shop.

MAKE IT – product development, encourage new producers to establish food enterprises, Tideswell Tipple nano-brewery

SHARE IT –  create a toolkit to help other communities copy us in stimulating their local economy (not necessarily through food).