THE Prime Minister has sampled some of Derbyshire's finest grub at a food and drink fair held at the House of Commons.
David Cameron was joined by other high-ranking politicians such as Chancellor George Osborne and Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow at the Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair, held in the Commons Jubilee Room.
A host of the county's firms including Scropton Cider, Chatsworth Farm Shop and Derby-based Indian cuisine firm S&A Foods took part.
South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler, one of the event's organisers, said Mr Cameron had "sampled everything".
Mrs Wheeler said: "He started off with an S&A curry and a sample from the Hartington Creamery. He had some Sealwood wine – the red – some of Dickie Allen's Scropton Cider and, of course, some ice cream from Bluebells.
"He absolutely adored some smoked salmon from Bolsover that he tried.
"He was saying how important the tourism industry is and why getting knowledge of Derbyshire's food and drink out there is really important because it makes us a real destination place."
Mr Osborne tried pork pie provided by Derby-based bakers Birds.
Mrs Wheeler said twice as many people came to the fair as were expected, with more than 600 through the doors.
Other organisers of the fair were Derbyshire MPs Nigel Mills, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, Mid-Derbyshire's Pauline Latham, High Peak's Andrew Bingham, Erewash's Jessica Lee, Chesterfield's Toby Perkins and Derby South's Dame Margaret Beckett.
Mrs Wheeler said the county council had also helped by arranging a coach for stallholders to get to London.
She said: "The stallholders made a contribution to the cost of the coach so it didn't cost the council a lot of money."
Mrs Latham said various other counties had held fairs at the Commons but that Derbyshire's had been the most popular so far.
Mrs Beckett said the event "showed there was more to Derbyshire besides the Peak District".
She said: "When I went across to see how it was going there were all these people walking across the visitors' hall and I thought these can't possibly all be going to the food and drink fair but they were. People were coming out with their S&A Foods curries."
Other companies which took part were Bakewell Puddings, Glossop butchers JW Mettrick & Son, Thorntons, Bolsover fine foods specialist Jaquest, Birds the Confectioners, Hartington Creamery, The Derbyshire Brewers Collective and Belper deli and eaterie Fresh Basil.
