Winner Mrs Eileen Ryan with her friend Stan Seaman

Mrs Eileen Ryan from Calshot attended NFDC's Young at Heart Festival for the over 50s on October 8th and was the lucky winner of the free prize draw.

Her prize was a buffet meal for two made from delicious New Forest local produce at the Montagu Arms in Beaulieu, cooked by award winning chef and cookery writer Shaun Hill.

LEADER + funded Forest Friendly Farming has organised a series of Gala Buffet Evenings at the Montagu Arms throughout the autumn and winter to celebrate top quality New Forest food.

At the latest event, on November 2, diners listened to short talks from Shaun Hill, Maurice Walton of Ringwood Brewery and Ron Lakey of Owls Barn Farm Shop, and then sampled a range of delicious buffet dishes.

On the menu were starters of Lymington crab salad, pumpkin soup, wild mushroom tart and turbot goujons, followed by saddle of venison with braised haricot beans, yoghurt marinated chicken, wild duck with celeriac and Romanian beef and cabbage lasagne - all sourced from local ingredients.

For anyone who still had room, there were desserts of pear and walnut tart, chocolate bread and butter pudding, and plum creme brulee.

Mrs Ryan, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday, took her friend Stan Seaman along to the event and enjoyed it all thoroughly.

"I grew up on a farm in Dorset and everything I ate then was organic," she said. "The evening took me back to some of the lovely flavours and tastes from my childhood and renewed my interest in good quality local food.

"Everything was delightful and it was a very enjoyable evening with good company in relaxed surroundings. I liked the fact that you could taste a little bit of everything. I couldn't say I had a favourite dish because it was all fabulous."

Forest Friendly Farming aims to promote New Forest food and produce to local residents and visitors and to local restaurants hotels and specialist food shops.

The New Forest has many producers of top quality meat, game and vegetables as well as fish landed from coastal waters.

Forest Friendly Farming recently launched the New Forest Marque, which recognises food of the highest standards of quality and production and which is derived totally from the New Forest.

Martyn Evans, FFF Local Produce Co-ordinator, urged people to come along to the Gala Buffet evenings to sample local produce.

"There is a wide range of top quality producers in the New Forest whose products can be used to create imaginative menus. The buffet evenings enable people to find out more about how the food is sourced and prepared and to sample some of the delicious results."

The next Gala Buffet evenings take place on January 4th, February 1st and March 1st and cost £23.50 per person. Places must be booked. Contact the Montagu Arms on 01590 612324 for more information.