Pictured above: Celebrating the launch of the Peak District & Derbyshire Food & Drink Guide 2011 are (l-r): Simon Spencer, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Derbyshire County Council; David James, Chief Executive, Visit Peak District & Derbyshire; Tim Nicol, Managing Director Taste Tideswell/Tideswell School of Food; David Thornton, Head of Marketing and Deputy Chief Executive, Visit Peak District & Derbyshire; Sally Webb, the Guide's Editor; Jenine Jones, the Guide's Sales Director and Patrick McLoughlin, MP for Derbyshire Dales and Government Chief Whip

Visitors and locals with an appetite for the finer things in life will find plenty of food for thought in a glossy new guide giving a full flavour of the culinary delights the Peak District and Derbyshire has to offer.

Visit Peak District & Derbyshire - the area's official tourist board - has teamed up with Food & Drink Guides Ltd to produce the 64-page Peak District & Derbyshire Food & Drink Guide 2011 - launched yesterday (Thursday April 14) at the state-of-the-art Tideswell School of Food.

Full details of a wide variety of delectable venues to eat - ranging from chic city bars to cosy cafes and stylish restaurants to traditional country pubs - are listed in the comprehensive A5-size guide, which showcases places to eat from Rowarth in the High Peak to Melbourne in The National Forest.

Almost 100 venues are included, and there are special features on wining and dining in Derby, the Derby Food and Drink Awards, the Derbyshire Food and Drink Awards and the Derbyshire Food & Drink Fair, which this year will be held at Hardwick Hall, near Chesterfield, on May 21 and 22.

Visitors can also tuck into the first-class holiday experience that the Peak District and Derbyshire can provide, with its mouthwatering menu of luscious views, delicious towns and villages, tasty attractions, flavour-packed festivals, tempting activities, sumptuous shopping and quality accommodation.

"Premium food and drink are key ingredients in the choice menu tourists have come to expect when they visit the Peak District and Derbyshire, and this fact-packed new guide offers a feast of information about the wealth of venues we have to tempt their taste buds," said David Thornton, the tourist board's Head of Marketing and Deputy Chief Executive.

"Many of them set great store by focusing on quality, locally-sourced produce - and the featured venues highlight a huge spectrum of choice - aimed at satisfying a broad range of tastes and budgets.

"Visitors will soon discover there's so much quality and choice - plus regular festivals such as the Derbyshire Food & Drink Fair in spring and the Great Peak District Fair in the autumn - that it pays to turn a brief visit into a satisfying short break.

"They can choose from more than 700 quality assured accommodation options, from bed & breakfasts serving wholesome local food to self-catering cottages close to regular farmers' markets and farm shops - on our website, www.visitpeakdistrict.com."

Added Sally Webb, Editor of the Peak District & Derbyshire Food & Drink Guide 2011: "This is the first guide that we have produced for the Peak District and Derbyshire, and the first we have compiled in conjunction with a local council, Derbyshire County Council, and a tourist board.

"Working with them has shaped this guide into an interesting and informative read, thanks to features that promote the area and all the great foodie events that take place here. 

"We have also been able to increase distribution of the guide, which is now available to pick up in even more places, including supermarkets and tourist attractions, bringing it to a wide audience. I know this will achieve far greater results for all the featured venues than if we had worked on this project independently."

Invited guests at the launch of the guide were treated to an introduction to the Taste Tideswell project and Tideswell School of Food by Managing Director Tim Nicol, and displays by local producers and businesses, plus live demonstrations in its nano brewery and kitchens, showcasing local produce. 

"Tideswell is building a proud reputation for locally produced food and drink, and our efforts to reconnect people with food 'from plot to plate' will accelerate this and protect our local food economy," said Tim. 

The Peak District & Derbyshire Food & Drink Guide 2011 is now available at tourist information centres and food and drink venues in and around the area. Copies will also be on offer at the tourist board's promotional stands at the Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair; BBC Gardeners World Live, NEC Birmingham from June 15 to 19; Derbyshire County Show at Elvaston Castle Country Park on Sunday June 26 and Bakewell Show on August 3 and 4.