The seventh British Food Fortnight takes place from 20 September to 5 October 2008 during Harvest Festival, the traditional time for celebrating our food.

The event will celebrate the diverse and delicious range of food that Britain produces with promotions and tastings in shops, all-British menus in pubs and restaurants, food and cookery lessons in schools and glorious food festivals. Whether you are shopping in supermarkets or local shops, or eating in pubs or restaurants you will be able to enjoy the best of British food during the Fortnight.

The ‘Buy British’ message will be promoted in outlets nationwide and through an extensive media campaign.

Restaurants, pubs, tourism attractions, hospitals and staff canteens will be encouraged to put British food on their menus. Five of the largest food service organisations, four major pub groups, all the chef associations and three of the main tourism organisations regularly take part in the event so expect to see a proliferation of British food on menus in the Autumn. For the first time, in 2008, the event is focusing in particular on public procurement: the NHS, Ministry of Defence, prison service and all Government departments will be challenged to join the national celebration and put British on their menus during the event.

The well-established promotions in shops will be increased with even more tastings, meet-the-producer events and special offers. All the supermarkets are being invited to expand the British promotions they ran during the event in 2007 and independent stores will be asked to champion local produce on the high street.

Schools will again be invited to teach children how to prepare simple meals using the best of Britain’s in-season produce and to enter British Food Fortnight’s 'Cook for Life' Challenge, sponsored by Kenwood, to find the school that incorporates cookery within the National Curriculum in the most imaginative and innovative way. Best practice advice on including food within the curriculum will be sent to 35,000 schools in Britain in the build-up to the event. And the event’s network of cooks and chefs working with schools to educate the next generation about the delights of our national produce and how to cook it will be consolidated to ensure it remains the largest volunteer movement educating children about food.