Local Food Hero

Local Food Hero
Starring	Gary Rhodes, Ollie Rowe and Rosemary Shrager
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	3
Release
Original network	UKTV Food
Original release	2006
External links
Website

Local Food Hero is a competition to find, celebrate and award Britain’s best independent food businesses - those who champions local produce with a strong connection to their community. In 2009, the competition was hosted by the television programme Market Kitchen, on the channel Good Food. Businesses from 10 regions in the UK were nominated and voted for by the public on the Good Food Channel website. After voting ended, the 10 businesses from each region with the most votes were assessed by a selection panel. The panel shortlisted three businesses from each region.

Presenters Matt Tebbutt and Matthew Fort visited the shortlisted businesses for a feature on Market Kitchen. A panel of expert judges then chose one winner from each the 10 regions, all of whom appeared as guests on Market Kitchen. The overall national winner for 2009 was The Dinner Ladies who received a trophy and £5000.

In previous years, celebrity chefs Gary Rhodes, Ollie Rowe and Rosemary Shrager presented and judged the competition as a stand-alone show.

The first season would have a celebrity "regional scout" visit eight businesses in their locality, who they would talk to and sample their produce. The scout would then choose their favourite three who would then go on to the regional finals, where the three chefs and judges would pick their first second and third placed contestant, the winner of the regional heat would then be chosen by combining the judge's and public votes.

The second season saw a slight change where five finalists are chosen to go on the regional finals.

The following are the three regional finalists for 2006:

East Anglia's regional scout was Danny Boome.

London's regional scout was celebrity chef, Aldo Zilli

The regional scout for the Midlands was Terri Dwyer.

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