The members of Morpeth Lions Club are known for a variety of reasons. One of these is that the club includes some good trenchermen.

You can imagine the reaction when Lion President Margaret Trewick invited her fellow members to two food tastings that would cost them nothing yet ‘earn’ £350 for the Club.

This came about as the result of the now disbanded Ashington Lioness Club’s connection over a twenty year period with the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF). The federation conducts surveys all over the country on behalf of frozen food manufacturers. Panels of 12 tasters of all ages and genders are asked to taste frozen foods new to the market during the past twelve months. The panel members are asked to mark their opinions on a form as each food is presented. The results are then collated and those considered the best in a particular category, ie Ready Meals, will be awarded the prestigious BFFF Gold, Silver or Bronze medals.

And so it was that 24 hardy souls turned up at Margaret’s house over the two nights involved to sample 12 foods cooked from frozen.

Needless to say the helpings were small; however by the end everyone had had ‘a more than adequate sufficiency’!!

The skill in this event lies in the kitchen where Margaret and her helper have to time each dish so that there is a continuous flow. This they did to perfection as there have been no complaints of stomach upsets!