FREE samples of delicious homemade bread left the collective taste buds tingling of the more than 60 people who attended an open day at Stroudco Food Hub on Saturday, May 4.

The event, held at Stroud Valley School where the Food Hub operates from every Saturday, was organised to promote the social enterprise and to encourage more people to sign up to it.

Stroudco Food Hub is a not-for-profit co-op delivery service, which brings together a range of local, artisan food and drink sellers.

Nick Weir, director of the Food Hub, hailed the event a 'great success'.

"Many of the people who called in were new to Stroudco and most of them opened an account with the food hub on the spot," he said.

"They will now be able to start shopping straight away and the only cost to them is £1 each week that they place an order."

As well as being given the chance to try out some of Stroudco's wide range of local food and drink, members of the public were also treated to a presentation on the history of the food hub, which now boasts 49 local producers who serve some 400 customer households.

Up until now Stroudco has been supported by the Local Food Fund but this funding will be terminated at the end of June and by then the hub needs to sign up another 30 regular shoppers to meet its running costs.

Every Saturday, local food and drink producers deliver their pre-ordered produce to the school where it is sorted into boxes ready for collection or home-delivery.

Anyone who missed the open day can call in to the food hub any Saturday between 11am and 1pm at Stroud Valley Community School in Castle Street.

To view the range of local produce available go to www.stroudco.org.uk where a full catalogue can be downloaded,