Eley's famous pork pies amongst sumptuous Shropshire treats celebrated in House of Commons

County Labour MPs, Shrewsbury's Julia Buckley, and Telford's Shaun Davies, hosted 'A Taste of Shropshire' event in parliament to shine a light on some the top Telford and Shrewsbury food and drink producers - and give their colleagues a chance to try them for themselves.

Celebrating everything from pork pies to doughnuts, sourdough to vegan chocolate, the mouth-watering event celebrated some of the county's favourite producers.

The ‘taste of’ events are a much-loved parliamentary tradition which offer local businesses the opportunity to showcase their products in Parliament to MPs, House of Lords members and parliamentary staff - providing a significant promotional opportunity for local firms.

Three Telford-based food and drink vendors were invited by Mr Davies to present their products including Richard and Tom Eley from Eley’s Pork Pies in Ironbridge, Sienna Turner from vegan chocolate producer ChocTilly who has a shop locally in Jackfield, and Adam Purnell – The Shropshire Lad – owner of Embers Café.

Mrs Buckley welcomed Planet Donut from Shrewsbury.

The event took place in the Jubilee Room in the Palace of Westminster over a two-hour period and was open to all members of Parliament and their staff.

 Mr Davies said: "I’ve never made it a secret in Parliament just how proud I am of Telford and the incredible local businesses that make our town what it is. I’m so grateful those businesses who made the trip to parliament today to showcase their amazing produce. It’s an honour to say they represent Telford. This is all about putting Telford on the map, we want people to come and experience everything our remarkable town has to offer."

Mrs Buckley said: “This was a really fabulous event. I was so proud to host Planet Donut from Shrewsbury in the Houses of Parliament. Of all the producers, their hundreds of donuts were the first to run out due to popular demand! 

“What a great way to showcase our fabulous local producers in Parliament where hundreds of MPs from all over the country came to taste our wares. Now they are keen to visit Shropshire to find out more.”

Richard Eley said they had been thrilled to share their pork pies at the prestigious event.

He said: “Our day in Westminster for the A Taste of Shropshire event was truly unforgettable, it was a really great event. I am so happy to be chosen to support Shropshire. Thank you to Shaun for inviting us and for everything he does for our area.”

Adam Purnell, The Shropshire Lad, added: “It was such an exciting experience to bring what I do in Telford to Parliament. Really interesting day, I was so glad to be given the opportunity to showcase my own rum along with my food. A big thank you to Shaun for the knowledgeable tour of Parliament too”

Sienna from ChocTilly said: “Such a great experience, especially in terms of meeting people and making connections, the event has made small businesses feel seen.”