The United Kingdom is home to some of the tempting gastronomic events that not only celebrates the local produce but also the brilliant recipes, talented chefs, and international cuisines. So, whether you are a local or you are a tourist, these food festivals offer you a chance to taste some of the finest foods from around the world.
Allow me to give you a roundup of the UK’s finest food festivals.
Surrey Food Festival
This one-day foodie event takes place at Old Deer Park, Surrey. The best thing about this place is that it is within close proximity to both Richmond and Kew Gardens. Here, you will find 100 attractively designed stalls to satiate your taste buds including – Spanish, Indian, Greek, BBQs, Italian. You will find lots of independent traders selling – waffles, honey, cake, and alcoholic tipples.
There is a kid zone especially for the kids where they can have a gala time. This is where the kids get to enjoy candyfloss, slush Puppies, and Popcorn. I am sure the kids, of all age groups, will surely like the bouncy castle and Toy Carousel.
Website: http://www.surreyfoodfestival.com/
Porthleven Food Festival
For the past eight years, Porthleven Food Festival has drawn tourists from different parts of the world, last year this festival witnessed over 30,000 visitors. This festival takes place in and around gorgeous Cornish Port. You get to enjoy three days of the best music, literature, artsy fun, and tasty food. This food festival is organised by the volunteers and the main objective behind this festival is to promote the local produce and food.
Spending a weekend enjoying the Cornish food, beer, and the joyous bands is an experience of a lifetime. Marquees on the quayside will give you an opportunity to taste some of the tasty treats, cookery demonstrations, and live music. More than 90 food & craft stalls surround the harbour and you can enjoy cookery demonstrations from some of the best chefs in the UK.
Website: http://porthlevenfoodfestival.com/
Vegfest Bristol
It is one of Europe’s major vegan events. This food festival draws over 14,000 visitors, every year, from around the world and you can visit this festival irrespective of your lifestyle and current diet. Here, 15 different caterers will offer you a wide array of vegan food from around the world including Caribbean specialities, churros, sushis, Indian curries, paella, fried chips, hot dogs. If you are in the mood to enjoy a quick drink, then you can visit one of the five licenced bars here offering you alcoholic drinks and there is something for the non-drinkers as well such as – smoothies and a wide variety of juices.
What makes this festival unique from others is that the 150 stalls offer the public free samples and lucrative discounts. If you are looking for some inspiration and looking to reduce your meat intake then you can be part of varied activities including – cookery demos, kids’ cookery classes, talks, and vegan workshops educating about the numerous food choices. If you are visiting along with your family, make sure you have visited the family arena where you get to enjoy water fights, live music, and much more.
Website: http://bristol.vegfest.co.uk/
Blenheim Palace Food Festival
I had a great time at Blenheim Palace Food Festival, this is a great festival to be part of and what makes this festival exciting is that you get to sample the delicious food and drinks made by some of the finest and talented chefs & producers in one of the striking palaces in the UK – Blenheim Palace. Over 120 stalls will offer you international cuisine, lovely ice creams, craft brewers, and handmade sweets.
Since the festival takes place next to the Pleasure Gardens, an Adventure Playground, and maze, so there is so much for the entertainment of the kids. The strolling music, face painting activities, and story-telling sessions will surely keep the kids engaged.
Website: http://fantasticbritishfoodfestivals.com/blenheim.html
The Great Dorset Chilli Festival
This is a must-visit for all the food lovers. This festival takes place in the month of August and it is a great day out for the chilli lovers, food lovers, and the families. You will find lots of stalls selling varied types of chillies, pepper plants, cooking demonstrations, discussions on growing chillies, etc. One of the exciting things about this festival is the fact that you get to be a part of a number of events such as – Chilli Cook-Off, Chilli Plant Competition, Chilli Pepper Competition, Chilli eating competition, talks & demonstrations. The kids can enjoy some cool music and there is also face competition where the kids will surely have a great time.
Website: http://www.greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk/
Garlic Festival
As the name is self-explanatory, this festival is all about garlic, there are lots of other producers showcasing their food products including – ciders, cheese, and meat. It is certainly one of the unusual festivals in the list but it is quite popular and draws not only the local crowd but tourists from different corners of the world. With so many garlic-induced food items, you get to enjoy a wide variety of garlic beer, garlic-flavoured fudge or popcorn.
Website: http://www.garlicfestival.co.uk/
The Big Feastival
One thing I really liked about The Big Feastival is that you get to be a part of so many different food-related activities. You can meet the famous chefs and have cookery tips from some of the well-known names including – Rick & Jack Stein, Nathan Outlaw, Cyrus Todiwala, Olia Hercules and much more. If you really love food, then it will be a privilege to witness some of the finest chefs demonstrate their cooking skills on NEFF (New England Forestry Foundation) Big Kitchen stage. You can grab a chair and be a part of the table sessions while the tops chefs demonstrate and discuss their cooking secrets.
Website: http://thebigfeastival.com/
Author bio – Emma Brown is an extensive and experienced web-writer. I help people to have the most informative and appealing online presence. Content writing is my passion and Scaling Expectations is my basic motto, I live up to. I am a Mass Communication post graduate and written several article for sites like Qwikfix and newspapers like The Telegraph.
