WHAT a glut of glorious food news I’ve got for you this week – no prizes for guessing that British Food Fortnight (BFF) is just around the corner.

Launched many moons ago to coincide with harvest festival, this celebration always brings with it a bounty of culinary delights. And once again Cumbria is at the forefront.

First off, there’s the Taste Cumbria festival to look forward to in Cockermouth (September 24 and 25). Staveley artisan baker Patrick Moore has even joined forces with co-sponsors Carrs Breadmaker at Silloth to produce a special loaf.

Then there’s Kendal’s Festival of Food throughout October, with a host of events across the South Lakes including a night of beer and curry at Hawks-head Brewery at Staveley Mill Yard and a ‘field to fork day’ in Kendal, both on October 28.

And Orton farmers market will set the scene for the BFF celebrations on Saturday (September 10) – watch out for ‘Damson’ Diana Brown who will be demonstrating how to make fresh pasta.

And if all of that hasn’t got you dancing around the kitchen, then I hope news of the launch of a wonderful new website – www.cumbrian-artisan.co.uk – which quite literally aims to bring the farmers’ market to you, will.

I spotted new season grouse and partridge from Cartmel Valley Game, plucked and ready for the pot; not to mention pork and damson sausages from The Cumbrian Pig Company (£3.99/360g).

Watch this space for weekly recommendations from Cumbrian Artisan.

And now to the matter of ‘back to school’ – not a celebration in some quarters I am sure - but I think you will find it’s certainly cause to jump up and down at Plumgarths farm shop in Kendal, which is offering a fantastic value ‘back to school’ feed-the-family-for-a-week bargain offer.

For only £30 your bag will include a pound and a half of stewing steak; the same amount of mince, sausage and diced pork, plus four burgers, four 8oz gammon steaks, AND a 2lb Sunday roasting joint of either beef or pork.

Let’s hear it for the independent butcher – hip hip hooray!

And now for even more goodies with the rest of this week’s Checkout recommendations … Weather permitting, Greenbanks in Kendal will have Lyth Valley damsons on sale by the end of this week (£1 per kilo).

Grange Bakery is offering its famous rocks cakes at 51p each, or four for £1.75.

Growing with Grace at Clapham has spinach on at £4.50 per kilo, celery at £1.44 each, French beans at £3 per kilo, and courgettes at £3 per kilo. All these vegetables are grown in the organic nurseries at Clapham.

Richardsons butchers in Bowness is now selling local lamb loin chops (farmer Andrew Denny, Lyth Valley) – buy four chops and get two free.

Cartmel Village Shop has the Hawkshead Relish Company’s limited edition ‘pukka pineapple chutney’ (£3.75 per 200g jar), delicious served warm with roast ham or pork; which nicely leads me into this week’s final selection from Steadmans Butchers at Sedbergh.

The man himself (Garth Steadman) recommended his own-cooked range of sandwich meats including three types of ham (roast, Yorkshire, or plain) from 95p per 100g; roast stuffed leg of pork (95p per 100g); and stuffed free range chicken slices (89p per 100g).