FIVE thousand Herefordshire apples will be starring at the UK's biggest food show next week.

The apples are being used by Hereford's Food and Drink Information Centre on its stand at the BBC Good Food Show, which is taking place from Wednesday, November 26 to Sunday, November 30, at the National Exhibition Centre, in Birmingham.

They will be offered to the thousands of visitors at the five-day event - which features celebrity chefs and almost 600 exhibition stalls - as a way of promoting produce from the region.

The Food and Drink Information Centre was launched in December 2002 as a "one-stop shop" for food and drink producers in the West Midlands.

Based in Homer Road, the centre has already helped more than 300 businesses, offering free advice and support.

"We research the enquiry for the producers," said Jon May, information and research executive at the centre.

The apples were supplied by Carrington & Jackson, in Cradley, near Malvern.