A locally-stocked hamper makes an ideal lunch for the Ashes, says Richard McComb.

Come rain or shine at the Third Test, die-hard cricket fans can enjoy some fine deliveries over the next few days at Edgbaston – thanks to a first-class Ashes hamper.

Picnics are one of the great joys of summer dining, whether they are enjoyed while relaxing on a rug under the dappled shade of a tree or eaten while sheltering from the elements in a rain-lashed pavilion.

The West Midlands has some of the finest producers in the country and to highlight the fantastic pies, relishes and drinks on offer Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF), the regional food group, has devised a splendid hamper with the cricket enthusiast in mind.

“From your sandwich to your Scotch egg and from your cheese to your pickle, all your picnic favourites can all be bought at shops locally from producers making some of the best food in the West Midlands,” says a spokeswoman for HEFF.

HEFF supports local food and drink producers across Birmingham and the Black Country, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire. As well as producer members, HEFF also has a number of retail members signed up to its Savour the Flavour scheme. These shops are committed to stocking regional produce and two can be found only a cricket ball’s throw away from the County Ground in Edgbaston.

The Grocer at Edgbaston is at Templefield Square, Wheeleys Road and is full of snacks to fill a picnic basket to the brim. The shop stocks a range of freshly-made sandwiches from Gastronaut Ltd in Warwickshire, saving time on the day of your visit to the big match. It also sells a number of award-winning cheeses from Fowlers of Earlswood, Solihull, with varieties including mature Warwickshire Truckle and Warwickshire with either garlic and parsley, cracked pepper, chilli or onion and chives.

To accompany the cheese, there is some delicious Rich Onion Marmalade from Creating Taste, Hockley, who also make fudge with flavours including vanilla, chocolate and cranberry and ginger, also available from The Grocer.

To continue with the sweeter things in life, you could include biscuits and cakes from Frank’s Luxury Biscuits, Hereford, or cakes from Perfection Foods, Wednesbury. To finish on a healthy note, The Grocer stocks lovely seasonal strawberries from Leason’s Market, Wolverhampton. As Warwickshire County Cricket Club does not allow glass bottles to be taken into the ground, you can purchase some water in plastic bottles from Wenlock Spring, Shropshire.

Another fantastic shop from which to buy all your picnic goodies is OHO Organic Stores on at 81 High Street, Harborne. The store includes a deli which stocks a range of Scotch eggs and quiches from The Handmade Scotch Egg Company in Bishops Frome, Herefordshire. It’s difficult to imagine a picnic without a Scotch egg and you can choose from a number of varieties at OHO including tarragon and garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and olives, chilli, paprika and red pepper, all made with free-range pork. The store also sells vegetarian options.

Pork pies are another picnic must and OHO sell a delicious traditional variety from A W Lashford & Son, Hall Green, Birmingham. Just like The Grocer, OHO also stocks a range of cheese from Fowlers which you can accompany with pickle from Emily’s Jams and Pickles, Worcester. You can also buy packets of Tyrrells Potato Chips, from Herefordshire in a variety of flavours.

Then, to end on a sweet note, you can buy flapjacks and cakes from Four Anjels, Gloucestershire, or decorated gingerbread from Image on Food, Market Drayton, Shropshire.

HEFF also recommends some pre-Ashes picnic shopping at Walter Smith Ltd which has won many awards for its meat and pies, most notably, its free-range pork pie. Shops can be found at 175/177 High Street, Harborne; Soho Road, Handsworth; Knowle, Solihull and Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield.