THE husband and wife behind one of Britain’s top Italian restaurants are spearheading a drive to open up new markets for Lancashire’s rural food producers.

Maurizio and Cinzia Bocchi, owners of the nationally-acclaimed La Locanda restaurant in Gisburn, have begun a campaign to highlight the merits of the county’s rural food producers among top chefs in Italy.

The couple, whose restaurant has won a host of major awards, is bringing chefs and Italian food producers to the North West this summer for a special conference that will highlight the best of Lancashire.

And they have already begun sending rural Lancashire produce to Italy for chefs to experiment with in their kitchens.

Chefs all throughout Italy are now using the finest ingredients Lancashire can offer to produce some of their signature dishes.

Cinzia said: “We promote the excellence of Italian produce here, so it makes sense to us to do the same for quality rural Lancashire food in Italy.

“We’re getting really good, encouraging feedback from our contacts in Italy and we are hoping to build on this, opening up new markets for rural Lancashire food producers over there.”

La Locanda, which was voted the best Italian restaurant in the UK two years ago, sources food from across Lancashire, but particularly from rural food producers within a five-mile radius.

Its meat comes from the Gazegill Organic Farm in Rimington, poultry comes from Johnson and Swar-brick in Goosnargh, game is sourced from Ian Scott in West Marton and dairy products come from Frankland Farm in Gisburn.

And Cinzia believes fresh, locally sourced food is the way forward for restaurants throughout the country.

Cinzia said: “We believe in small family producers and this is all about promoting and showcasing excellence in food and produce.”