Neston Park Farm Shop welcomed celebrity chef Ray-mond Blanc to sample some of their locally sourced food on Thursday, as he prepares to open his new restaurant in Bath later this month.

The chef, who stars in the BBC’s The Restaurant, visited the shop in Neston to taste test some of the food which is nurtured and produced at Home Farm.

Mr Blanc sampled meat and cheese, and said some of the food might make its way onto the menu of his new restaurant, Brasserie Blanc, opening in Francis Hotel Bath – which has undergone a £6m refurbishment – on May 24.

He said: “I’m very impressed with what I have seen in Neston, they are part of a food revolution where more locally sourced food finds its way onto our plates and the menus of local restaurants.

“The shop has a fantastic selection of cheeses and I’m sure their devine Baronet will find it’s way onto our menu. I respect the work that everyone is doing at the farm shop and I hope to see more outlets like this grow across the country giving the consumer more choice and greater quality.”

The TV chef toured the shop and the grounds of the 1,500 acre organic farm, meeting food producers and the shop’s owner Lady Venetia Fuller.

She said: “It is brilliant to welcome Raymond to the shop and talk to him about our locally sourced food. It is great to see someone who shares our passion for producing good quality food.”

Neston Park Farm Shop, which opened in 2006, sells dairy products, drinks and a variety of meat.

Butcher Tony Banfield, who lives on site, said: “It is the welfare of our animals which is the most important thing for us on the farm and and it is a great compliment to have a top chef like Raymond Blanc come to visit.”

The keys to Mr Blanc’s Bath restaurant were handed over to him on Friday and he said he plans to visit more local producers in the area.

Visit www.

nestonpark farmshop.com