Food festivals in September

of 13th-15th sees The Ludlow Food Festival return for its 19th year and going stronger than ever with a whole host of activities from cider pressing and knife cutting demonstrations to an Indian cookery school, cheese tasting and bakery masterclasses; there's even a secret restaurant; and of course there is the usual selection of top chefs including local chef Will Holland of La Becasse, Steve Love of Loves Restaurant, Sam Moody of The Bath Priory, Paul Foster of Tuddenham Mill and Aktar Islam of Lasan. We head to Shakespeare country on the 14^th and 15^th for the Stratford Food Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon where celebrity judge of the Great British Bake-Off – he gets everywhere – Paul Hollywood and star of Channel 4’s Cook Yourself Thin, Sophie Michell, will headline the demos. Back to the Cotswolds for Tetbury Food and Drink Festival on 18^th – 22^nd September where there will be BBQs and barn dances, sausage appreciation societies and tours of local mills and vineyards as well as a plethora of local artisanal producers and even the odd MasterChef finalist. The 21^st is another busy one starting with Weston Super Food Festival on 21^st and 22^nd focusing on the best produce from the West Country with quality street food, local producers, suppliers and growers and even food-related comedy, street theatre and music. The same day sees The Barnes Food Fair set in London’s best kept secret, the village of Barnes. The fair aims to raise money for local charities and good works and also features some big-hitting chefs on demo duty such as two-star Phil Howard of The Square and recent star of BBC’s The Chef’s protégé, Theo Randall. A short hop over the Irish Sea finds us at the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival on 26^th – 29^th September. It’s the world’s longest-running oyster festival – the 59^th one no less – and will include an international oyster shucking championship, a hot oyster cooking challenge, oyster eating competitions and a Mardi Gras style procession through the streets of Galway. The month ends at the London Excel Centre on 27^th – 29^th September with the Halal Food Festival showcasing a host of delicious halal foods as well as a cooking school and a live demonstration kitchen featuring some great chefs like Cyrus Todiwala and Jean-Christophe Novelli on the culinary ones and twos. Shabba!