Businesses from across Exmoor are in Westminster as part of a special showcase event in the House of Commons, hosted by local MP Rachel Gilmour.
The Flavours from Exmoor event, taking place today in the Jubilee Room, brings together a small number of producers and organisations to represent the strength and diversity of Exmoor’s food and drink offer on a national stage.
Attending organisations include Visit Exmoor, Exmoor National Park, Exmoor Distillery, Black Bear Brewery, Exmoor Game School, Wellhayes Vineyard, the Hill Farming Network and Exmoor Tea. In addition, two finalists from the 2025 Exmoor Young Chef competition will be in attendance, celebrating their success and highlighting the work being done by Visit Exmoor and partners to promote career opportunities within the hospitality sector.
Rachel Gilmour MP said: “It has been my privilege to work with Visit Exmoor to plan this incredible event. I am delighted to be bringing food and drink manufacturers from across Exmoor to the House of Commons, to showcase some of their incredible products, as well as the stunning scenery included within the ‘Exmoor Farms: A Year on the Moor’ book, through the Exmoor Hill Farming Network.
“I hope that many Parliamentarians will attend, to truly get a flavour of Exmoor, and hear directly from my constituents about the critical role they play in the visitor economy on Exmoor, which is a major driver of employment in my constituency. Having these fantastic local businesses in the House of Commons is going to be really special for me.
“I am very much looking forward to the conversations which will flow from this event, across all parties, to really show that Exmoor is a part of the South West’s past, present and future, whether it is through agriculture, tourism, or the wider Exmoor economy. I hope that this will be a timely reminder that the rural economy is its own powerhouse and deserves to be treated as such.”
The event provides an opportunity for parliamentarians, advisers and industry stakeholders to engage directly with businesses that play a central role in Exmoor’s visitor economy.
Tourism and the wider visitor economy generate over £630 million of economic activity each year across Exmoor, with food and drink forming a critical part of the overall offer that attracts visitors to the area. The businesses attending the showcase represent a key part of that experience, from local producers through to visitor experiences.
Visit Exmoor, the official organisation supporting the visitor economy for the Exmoor area and part of the Somerset and Exmoor Local Visitor Economy Partnership aligned with VisitEngland, has worked with partners to bring together businesses from across the area to ensure strong representation of Exmoor’s food and drink sector at the event.
Emma Thomasson, Chief Executive of Visit Exmoor, said: “This is a valuable opportunity to represent Exmoor at a national level and to highlight the role that our businesses play within the visitor economy. Local provenance, food and drink are a vital part of what attracts people to Exmoor, and the businesses attending are a core part of that offer.
It also gives us a platform to highlight both the challenges and the opportunities to grow our rural visitor economy, and the importance of supporting the small businesses at the heart of it, where the visitor economy underpins jobs, investment and long term sustainability.”
The showcase builds on previous successful events in Parliament, which generated strong media coverage and raised the profile of Exmoor businesses both locally and nationally.
