About Carol Carol loved the West Country and in particular people who were prepared to go that last little bit to get the very best out of their product whether it was cheesemaking, semi-wild moorland beef, salt marsh lamb, fresh vegetables, wine, jam, bread even cider. Many people held her journalistic work in very high esteem because she was not frightened of criticising the government for bad policy decisions or the supermarkets for their stranglehold on farmers and the rural economy. Carol was multi-talented but above all it was her food writing that brought her to national attention. She was the author of three books: Gourmet Cornwall, Cornish Fishing and Seafood and The Devon Food Book. “We were very lucky to have a journalist of Carol’s calibre covering food and drink in Devon and Cornwall.  She had a real love of everything local but because she was such a good writer whatever she chose to write about from local fishing and seafood through to her overriding passion for the Devon and Cornwall food industry was of great value.” – Rick Stein Early life Carol Trewin was born and brought up in Bristol and went to Clifton High School for Girls. In 1971 she went to Exeter University to read English. Afterwards, she moved to Yorkshire where she had a milk round for ten years and ran a market garden. She also helped run a small village shop at Pocklington. This retail experience was vital when she came to understanding small rural food businesses. The BBC years She was taken on by BBC Radio York, and soon after went to London where she worked as a producer on a variety of programmes including the Food Programme, Woman’s Hour and the World Service. She moved to Pebble Mill in Birmingham and ran her most popular programme ‘On Your Farm’ which she produced for four and half years. Farm breakfasts were a weekly occurrence and the programme went out early on Sunday mornings. Carol then helped to run the Farming Today team, which covered BSE - a traumatic time for all concerned. In 1997 her programme ‘Spam’ won the Gledfiddich Award for Best radio programme of the Year and she won a Sony award for ‘Apocalypse Cow’. She was also Head of BBC Radio 4’s Rural Affairs Department.  Back in the Westcountry In 1997 she moved away from BBC Radio 4 back to Devon and worked as the Farming Editor for the Western Morning News. This covered the time leading up to Foot and Mouth Disease - yet another sobering and traumatic lesson in Government disease control. In 2002 Carol then left the Western Morning News for a couple of years when she ran Cornwall Taste of the West, implementing a £3 million EU grant to help small food producers get on their feet. In 2004 she rejoined the Western Morning News and then became their Food Editor, a post she held till August 2009. In 2005 Carol was elected a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society.  In May 2006, she was diagnosed with an acute form of leukaemia but still carried on working despite the constraints of the disease and treatment. 1953 - 2009 Carol died from leukemia in October 2009. Both Carol and her investigative journalism are sadly missed. Her passion for food and farming was very infectious and she was always keen to encourage young writers. The Carol Trewin Young Food Writers Award is set up to keep her values and work ethic alive amongst a new generation of food writers. Further tributes to Carol Trewin Carol Trewin