The December 2021 trading period was either a time when everything fell into place or everything seemed to fall apart.

Disastrous December for Freelancers: what happened?

Self-taught chef, gourmet caterer and all-round foodie Kate returned to the UK after 20-plus years working in Cyprus, the Middle East and most recently Portugal to continue her passion for food, travel and all things local. 

After a decade running the leading catering company in the Algarve, with clients such as Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer, Take That and Fortune 500 CEOs, Kate’s obsession for food and drink led her to realise that whilst the UK is full of amazing produce, magazines littered with sumptuous photos, and social media inundated with picture after picture of food and travel experiences, the reality of finding it once back in the UK was actually quite difficult.

“Farmers’ markets and local farm shops are an option,” says Kate, “but of course they only sell produce from your region. How do you eat amazing Worcestershire food if you live in Somerset? How do you discover that extraordinary British wine when production only extends to 1500 bottles a year? Where do you find the incredible-tasting salt, produced for centuries, but that has been reborn and refined by a Michelin chef to produce stunning dishes you can re-create at home? Or just simply a unique and sustainable gift for someone you care about?”

The answer is an expertly chosen and beautifully presented hamper that showcases the best local produce from the UK's regions. One that changes each month, and one that will tempt you to come and explore each area.

Tales from the producers are an essential part of what we do, and each regional hamper is accompanied by an online blog telling their stories. In the Warwickshire hamper we have the oldest cheesemaker in the UK making a very special cheese, wine produced from grapes grown on land once owned by Shakespeare’s family, a lady from Coventry picking runner beans from local allotments to make a chutney from a recipe handed down from her grandfather who dug for victory in World War 2, and an elderflower liqueur that started life as a wedding celebration but now forms part of another new adventure for the Earl and Countess of Yarmouth.

Join Regional British Hampers on a gastronomic tour of the best of Great Britain.

Kate Rouse's Media Coverage