'Food desert': MP denies dig at restaurants after telling minister she may have to 'put up with Greggs pasty' during trip to Blackpool

The Conservative, who represents Blackpool North and Cleveleys, was taking part in a debate about Henry Dimbleby’s national food strategy, which argues the pandemic has exposed flaws in the UK’s food chain.

He described food minister Victoria Prentis as a “heroine” on his patch and urged her to visit the resort to “see how the recommendations on tackling holiday hunger will benefit the most deprived communities in the UK”.

He then added: “Because we may be in a food desert, she might have to put up with a Greggs pasty for her lunch, but we will put on a good show for her nonetheless.”

A food desert is an area where residents struggle to access healthy food.

Mr Maynard today insisted his comment was not meant as a slur against the town’s award-winning restaurants but was instead intended to highlight the difficulty some people have accessing healthy food.

He also said he only “jokingly referred” to the national bakery chain as the “only lunch option”.

He said: “Blackpool is lucky to have so many great restaurants. I am sure we have all benefitted from the Eat Out to Help Out scheme over the summer, as I have, as we have seen them come out of lockdown.

“But my comments weren’t about restaurants. Sadly too many in Blackpool have struggled through lockdown. The food deserts I speak about are areas where people can’t get the fresh fruit and veg they need to make fresh nutritious meals – and have to rely on the sort of convenience snacks I talked of.

“I’ve backed Marcus Rashford’s efforts to extend free school meal provision, and supported local schools in Claremont and Grange Park in the superb work they have done over lockdown to get food to where it is most needed.

“Showing the minister the challenges too many face in my constituency will hopefully play a part in changing government policy and precisely what MPs should be doing right now.”

Pauline Lai-Thomas from Michael Wan’s Wok Inn, which was shortlisted for a Golden Chopstick award this year and is one of Blackpool’s top rated eateries on review website Tripadvisor, said she took Mr Maynard’s comment in Parliament as a joke.

“I think it was a throwaway comment and a joke, but maybe he needs to come and eat out in the restaurants and realise how good they really are,” she said.

Pauline said the resort’s culinary scene is thriving.

She added: “It’s actually getting quite exciting.”

Nico Stefani from Stefani’s Pizzeria in the town centre, which has just been awarded a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice gong for being one of the best rated restaurants in the world, said: “This is what I always find about Blackpool.

"People have the thought that if they come here they will get fish and chips or a dodgy burger.

“Making comments like that is a kick in the teeth.”

Mr Maynard has made controversial statements previously.

In 2016, he invited Labour MP Angela Raynor to “step outside” after being interrupted during a debate on the disability employment gap.

He also made headlines three years earlier when he told a food poverty summit: “We can’t make food banks part of the welfare state.

"What I don’t want to do is normalise food poverty.

"In Canada you have people going to food banks every week and it can become a habit.”

Blackpool’s tourism boss Coun Gillian Campbell said: “I can only assume the remarks were meant to be tongue-in-cheek given that we have many excellent restaurants, all of which would be more than willing to welcome the minister to show that Blackpool is far from being a food desert.

“We have a tremendous range of high-quality and award-winning eating establishments to suit all tastes and pockets, not just on the Promenade and in the town centre, but in district centres such as Bispham and Highfield Road too.”