Eat the Island is an annual gathering of local food and drink producers with hospitality providers from Portsmouth and beyond. Here at the Queens Hotel we are proud to support the initiative and we have been involved from the outset.
As well as a great way to showcase delicious produce on our doorstep, the event is the official launch for the Southsea Food Festival, which regularly draws thousands of visitors to our streets to sample tasty food and drink.
Paul Playford, General Manager of the Queens Hotel, said:
“We’re proud to support Eat the Island. There’s so much talent and creativity in Portsmouth’s food scene, and we’re committed to championing local producers wherever we can.
“With its focus on connection, innovation, and sustainability, Eat the Island continues to play a vital role in shaping the future of Portsmouth’s food and drink economy.”
Photo caption left to right:
Natalie Brahma-Pearl, CEO Portsmouth City Council; Kate Pearce, Head of Communications, Queens Hotel; Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council; Natasha Dochniak, Commercial Manager at Hampshire Fare and Vince Noyce, Co-founder and Operations Director at Portsmouth Distillery.
A new food industry networking event, Eat the Island, takes place on Thursday 8 June from 3 – 6pm at the Queens Hotel. It is for local food and drink producers, independent retailers and hospitality venues in Portsmouth and the South Coast region.
Eat the Island is a free networking event organised by Portsmouth City Council, Hampshire Fare and the Queens Hotel. It aims to bring together local businesses to inspire, create opportunities and celebrate the area’s vibrant food and drink culture.
The Portsmouth food industry event will offer producers the opportunity to showcase their products to local hospitality venues and retailers. It will help them to grow a sustainable and thriving supply chain in the heart of Portsmouth. In addition, there will be a programme of short talks covering good practice, increasing revenue and enhancing the consumer experience.
Jane Lamer Head of Economic Development and Skills at Portsmouth City Council, said: “Eat the Island is a new initiative resulting from our work to support local businesses through the annual Southsea Food Festival.
“By bringing together food and drink businesses, we hope to enable greater opportunities to work together and grow Portsmouth’s economy.”
Tracy Nash, Commercial Manager at Hampshire Fare, said: ‘Joining up the foodie dots is what we do best at Hampshire Fare. This is going to be a great example of this. We are delighted to be involved in this Portsmouth food industry event. We are very excited about the vibrancy of the food and drink sector in this region’
The event builds on the success of Southsea Food Festival and the city’s lively food and drink offering.
Paul Playford, General Manager of the Queens Hotel said he was delighted to host the first Eat the Island event.
“We are keen for our island city to be seen as a food destination.
“We look forward to working with other hospitality providers and local producers to put ourselves on the foodie map for the UK,” he said.
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