A SHOP is inviting people to celebrate British Food Fortnight by tasting the best in regional produce.

The Food Shop, in Claypath, will hold a series of tastings from noon to 6pm today and between 9am to 5pm tomorrow to showcase the range of healthy food available.

There will also be samples at the shop's stall on the Saturday outdoor market between 9.30am and 4.30pm.

People will be able to try award-winning sausages, apple juice, cheese, mustard, mead, speciality bread, preserves and chutneys, all produced in the region.

Colin Wilkes, of the Food Shop, said: "More and more people want to know where their food comes from and being able to source food direct from the producer - at the farmers' market in Durham on the third Thursday of the month or from shops like ourselves - satisfies the customers' increasing demands."

More than 1,000 shops and restaurants across the country are taking part in British Food Fortnight, which was first held in 2002 after the foot and mouth epidemic.