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If you really want to get to know England, you should use your tongue to do more than just speak English. You should educate yourpalate on the tastes of the local food too. That is what the British conservation charity the National Trust thinks - and it is putting its money where its mouth is.

The Trust employed a panel of taste experts to identify what flavours typify each region in the UK. They tried food and drink from many areas, making sure to smell, touch and look at the food as well as savour the taste.

A delicious cream tea

After tasting apple chutney, beef, ice cream and potatoes grown in Cornwall, they said that the primary flavours of southwest England have overtones of cream and honey that are present even in the meat courses. Probably the most famous of these dishes is the Cornish pasty, a traditional miners' lunch of beef and potato wrapped in pastry. It is as popular as cream tea, where the beverage is served with scones, jam and clotted cream.

According to the experts, the flavours that represent the Midlands aregamey. The panel tasted the local pale ale and spring lamb, among other things.

But the Trust is concerned that regional foods risk becoming extinct because the nation is losing the ability to taste complex and varied flavours.

The Director-General of the National Trust, Fiona Reynolds, says: "Taste is something we're losing, because too many of our meals are packed with additives and flavourings. And because many of us don't see food production for ourselves, we're losing contact with where food comes from and its distinctive taste."

The National Trust's research is the latest initiative in a growing movement to reconnect British people with their traditional foods. The trend has seen the revival of farmers' markets and the multiplication of TV programmes about gastronomy.

Reynolds suggests that people should buy local food in season or grow their own fruit and vegetables. The National Trust seeks to serve local produce in the restaurants and tearooms that it maintains close to historic houses and ancient monuments around Britain.

The Trust also publishes advice on its website to people who want to "rescue their taste buds". This includes buying fresh produce and enjoying the aroma of food before eating it. The site also advises readers to ditch the salt and pepper and try food without any form ofseasoning.