Out Of The Field And On To The Plate
 Situated in the heart of rural Lancashire, the Fence Gate Inn takes sourcing fresh ingredients seriously – so much so that it now insists that some of its vegetables are delivered within a day of being picked and that its potatoes hit the pot within hours of being harvested.
The restaurant supports the Harvest Northwest scheme, where produce is delivered to the restaurant the day after being picked or dug rather than the usual four to five days. From crisp Formby asparagus and soft Lancashire cauliflowers to crunchy Cheshire apples and juicy Westmorland damsons; Fence Gate’s kitchen aims to use in-season field fresh fruit and vegetables throughout its mouth watering dishes.
However, such a commitment wasn’t enough for owner, Kevin Berkins who then signed up to the ‘dug this morning’ scheme. Sean Mallinson harvests potatoes between midnight and three o’clock in the morning at his farm in Southport; the produce is then delivered to Sharrocks, the distributor behind the scheme, before handing them over to chef, Spencer Burge between six and eight in the morning.
Fence Gate Inn’s ‘local’ approach isn’t limited to its greens. Its haddock, potted shrimps and ice cream are all Lancashire born-and-bred as is its wide selection of meat which is all locally sourced and organic. Former butcher, Kevin prepares all the meat himself and as ‘Lancashire Sausage Champion 2004 – 6’ also offers visitors a selection of bangers from his award winning range.
Kevin concludes: “Using locally sourced produce not only supports Lancashire’s farmers but let’s us work with the land to offer fresh ingredients in-season and offer customers the best the area has to offer.”
For more information visit www.fencegate.co.uk
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