Food businesses and local chefs are invited to apply for the Greater Lincolnshire Menu competition ahead of Lincolnshire Day on 1 October.
“The importance of supporting local businesses has never been greater than it is now, Launched jointly by Lincolnshire County, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire councils, the competition aims to celebrate the exceptional food grown and produced across the whole county.
Each area is looking for the perfect Lincolnshire dish – sweet or savoury – from food producers or professional chefs in their area, for one of the three meals of the day.
North East Lincolnshire is looking for a breakfast dish; North Lincolnshire is looking for a lunch dish, and Lincolnshire County is looking for a dinner dish.
To enter, businesses should send their recipe, why they think it makes the perfect Lincolnshire dish, and a picture of it, to lincolnshireday@lincolnshire.gov.uk. They also need to include their name, contact details and address so they can be entered into the correct category for their area.
The creators of the winning dishes will then be invited to a Lincolnshire Day celebration event at Normanby Hall Country Park on Friday 1 October.
Entries will close on Sunday 19 September 2021.
Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: "This year, for the first time, we're joining with our neighbours in North and North East Lincolnshire to bring together all of Lincolnshire on Lincolnshire Day. From Barton-upon-Humber, right down to Boston, we're encouraging residents and businesses to celebrate all they love about our county on 1 October.
"After what has been a particularly difficult year for our local businesses, many of us are keen to support them and buy local wherever we can. Lincolnshire could easily be described as the UK's food capital and the Greater Lincolnshire Menu competition will highlight the wide range of excellent, quality food we make right across the county."
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “For many years there has been an invisible line between North Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire, when in fact we are all part of the same county – Lincolnshire. This is the first time the three councils have come together for Lincolnshire Day, and I am delighted it is being celebrated in such a way.
“Lincolnshire Day is about celebrating all that is great about our county, and one of those things is the food it produces. One eighth of the UK’s food comes from greater Lincolnshire, so it truly is the country’s food capital. Food businesses and chefs are invited to enter the Greater Lincolnshire Menu competition to show off their talent using the fantastic food made in Lincolnshire.
“The importance of supporting local businesses has never been greater than it is now, which is why we are encouraging residents and businesses to join in the celebrations.”
Meanwhile the Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Philip Jackson, knows what his favourite ingredients would be for the breakfast dish.
“Fish would be top of my list! You cannot say North East Lincolnshire and Grimsby without putting that ingredient high as a favourite. But we have some very talented chefs out there and so you never know what they may come up with.
“This is a fantastic way for us all to celebrate what is good about Greater Lincolnshire – from north to south and east to west we have some of the best food producers and processors in the UK, and they put our whole area well and truly on the international map,” he added.