A food provenance champion with Gloucestershire roots has launched the country's first national centre for provenance.

Happerley, whose name derives from its base at Willow Hill Farm in Apperley, have taken unprecedented steps to ensure providers prove the provenance of their food.

The national centre for food and drink transparency was launched this morning by Happerley founder Matthew Rymer, BBC Countryfile presenter and Gloucestershire farmer Adam Henson and former Gloucester Rugby star turned TV chef Phil Vickery.

Happerley England will give farmers, suppliers and producers a platform to champion their 'Gold Standard' produce.

Gold Standard is a marque awarded to food and drink producers able to name the exact sources of their core ingredients back to the primary producers.

Every core ingredient must be instantly traceable back to farms or fishing boats.

The centre will officially open in Banbury in March next year as the 'Eden Project of the food and drink industry.

Adam Henson said: "Today, we take a bold step in giving English food and drink a home.

"With Brexit and other economic uncertainties constantly putting farmers' livelihoods at risk, never has there been a more critical or fundamental time to provide a platform where English-grown and reared produce is championed and celebrated as it should be.

"Happerley England will ensure our country's finest products are put on a pedestal for all to see.

"This is an exciting movement which, as a farmer, I fully endorse and see it as being a step towards achieving full transparency across the whole food and drink industry."

Celebrity MasterChef Phil Vickery was representing Creed Foodservice at the launch.

The Staverton-based firm are the UK's first national foodservice company and supply customers including the National Trust and English Heritage.

He confirmed that Creed will take a UK sector lead by committing to working across its supply chain to deliver Happerley transparency wherever possible.