As summer draws to its inevitable conclusion, we look ahead to October’s food festivals to show that autumn may not be so bad after all!
First up it’s a Staffordshire festival with a genuine party atmosphere:
Where: Westbridge Park, Stone, Staffordshire.
When: 3th – 5th October.
Back for its 10th year, the Stone Food and Drink Festival has risen from a quiet celebration in the towns Georgian High Street into one of the biggest and most popular food festivals that the Midlands has to offer.
The week of the festival sees Stone’s pubs, bars and restaurants get into the spirit of things with a week-long programme of special events, themes and offers.
The weekend, always the first weekend of October, sees a flurry of activity with live
cookery demonstrations, shopping in the Gourmet Food Marquee,
talks,
tastings, a
beer festival, live
music, gourmet dining, street food and much, much more.
The gourmet marquee hosts over 100 of the finest artisan food producers from across the country while the adjoining Taste of Staffordshire marquee hosts an array of local food heroes. There’s a wide-range of food available, ranging from local Staffordshire oatcakes to gourmet burgers and
international cuisine from as far afield as Lahore and the Caribbean.
For aspiring domestic chefs there’s also a demonstration kitchen on the Westbridge Park site with live demonstrations every hour. Here, top chefs from across Staffordshire display their culinary talents and share expert tips in a live show.
Elegant cocktail and champagne bars are also out in force while there are plenty of stalls serving hot beverages ranging from the classic ‘builders’ tea to exotic blends and fine continental coffee.
There’s plenty for the kids too! Accompanied under 16s get free entry into the Westbridge Park site and there’s a range of activities from fairground rides to cookery classes. The Stone Food and Drink Festival really does offer something for everybody!
Back down south there’s the next instalment of foodie festivals:
Where: Framlingham, Suffolk.
When: Saturday October 11th
The battle to be the best Framlingham sausage is on! The pride of local sausage producers is at stake!
This is a genuine meat-lovers festival! Guests navigate their way along the Framlingham sausage trail where local sausage producers will be hoping to sizzle your senses to get your vote and win the coveted prize. A trail map costs just £5 and is your ticket to the tasting and judging of Suffolk’s finest sausages.
Suffolk is renowned for its sausages and as ‘Jimmy’s Farm’, famous after the BBC series, is one of the producers competing in the Framlingham Festival, guests will not go away disappointed! 12 sausage producers in total will be competing in the event and high standards will be a must to claim victory.
The SausageFest Market Place will be a hive of activity where you can get chutneys and sauces to go with your sausages, sample other local produce, browse local trader stalls and also buy souvenirs from the big day. The famously talented ‘Ladies in Pigs’ will be in the United Free Church conjuring up some delicious pork dishes, tasty snacks and recipe leaflets to take away. There is also an interactive BBQ cooking workshop where Chris Plant’s devotion to gourmet cooking on a BBQ will, in theory, end the days of charcoal burger forever!
However, it’s not all about sausages! For kids there’s Greg Chapman, the SausageFest entertainer, who’ll be holding a ‘pirate school’ and delighting crowds at various points along the trail. There are limo rides to the venue, all of which are free with the trail maps and the sausage king will also be in town, eating sausages and delighting children and adults alike.
And for those not so keen on sausages...
Where: Alcester, Warwickshire.
When: Saturday 18th October.
Alcester is a beautiful market town in the heart of Warwickshire and an old Roman fort. Anyone who likes quality food and drink will love this festival in such a historic setting. The centre of Alcester is closed to traffic and filled with over 100 stalls offering a diverse range of fresh, seasonal produce. The majority of producers are local to the Warwickshire area but some come from further afield.
This year’s Spring Food Festival was a great success as thousands of visitors enjoyed the food and sunshine in the streets of Alcester. The atmosphere was electric as people flocked to enjoy the fantastic range of food and drink on offer.
This Autumn, once again, Alcester will be filled with market stalls offering seasonal produce such as artisan breads, local cheeses, venison, ducks, smoked fish and meats, local ales and ciders, handmade puddings, pies, cakes and many, many more.
There will also be a free park and ride service available on the day provided by Dudley’s Coaches that should help allow all to have a very pleasant
