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Food lovers will be in for a treat when the popular Worcester Foodie Festival returns to the city centre.
The free event which runs from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st July has been organised by Worcester BID and promises to be even bigger and better than last year. It includes an additional event day, over 70 stalls offering delicious food and drink from local businesses and selected specialist producers, as well as food and drink matching sessions, cookery demonstrations and master class workshops by a variety of well-established chefs.
Dean Edwards will be headlining the festival’s main stage in High Street on the Saturday. His family friendly cooking style has made him a firm favourite on ITV’s ‘Lorraine’ and he is the author of two cookery books ‘Mincepiration’ and ‘Feel Good Family Food’. Visitors are encouraged to get their cookery books signed after the demonstrations on Saturday. Dean’s ethos on food is that it should be achievable, simple and above all taste fantastic. “Food doesn’t have to be complicated, and I am keen to show the visitors to the Foodie Festival that simplicity is just as effective” he says.
Worcestershire based Fusion Brasserie chef Felice Tocchini will also be demonstrating a range of al fresco dining and tasty Italian recipes on the main stage throughout the event. He said, “I am looking forward to showcasing some of the best local products in our region at the Foodie Festival”. Amongst other dishes he will also be showing visitors how to make his delicious summer pudding with basil and chocolate.
Another attendee is Richard Fox who is renowned for cooking with beer as well as creating gourmet beer and food matches, but his other great passion is on the subject of reducing our food waste by performing cooking demonstrations on the theme of ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’. Richard’s exuberant and entertaining demonstrations take place on each of the 3 days.
Visitors are invited to join one of the free food and drink matching sessions at the masterclass area in front of the Guildhall and learn more about pairing different cheeses with beer, wine and cider. As part of the sessions cheese experts Martin Mills and Roy McDonald will also be introducing you to ‘smorging’ – an indulgent grazing style of eating based on the Scandinavian Smørgåsbord – allowing visitors discover new tasty ways of eating their favourite cheeses. Richard Everton from New Street based Bottles Wine Bar & Merchants and the Cornmarket Deli team will also be advising on great food and drink matches.
With exciting food experiments and fun kids cookery workshops sponsored by TESCO Worcester at CrownGate’s Bell Square/Chapel Walk, youngsters will also enjoy their visit to the Worcester Foodie Festival. Quirky food experiments including exploding rockets, edible slime and fizzy mocktails, as well as fun pasta making and baking sessions. There will also be free face painting and a kids colouring competition.
The Foodie Festival will also feature some great new roving street entertainment with the ‘Cheesy Rider’ comedy chefs and their quirky cocktail bar, plus fun GYO gardeners on stilts. Live music will be provided by a variety of talented local musicians, as well as festival favourites Worcester Ukulele Club and the Worcester Concert Brass.
Foodies can also tantalise their taste buds at Worcester’s 150+ quality local restaurants, cosy cafés, stylish bars and traditional pubs. Leave the cooking and washing up to someone else and venture out to try special offer menus and take advantage of sampling opportunities. Further food and drink themed activities, trails, competitions and more will be laid out for all to enjoy at participating local businesses.
Nadja von Dahlen, Worcester BID Marketing & Events Manager, said “The Worcester Foodie Festival is a great opportunity for people to discover and experience our fantastic city centre food and drink outlets, whether it’s by visiting the street stalls or venturing into businesses for a tasty treat. Who doesn’t want to leave the cooking and washing up to someone else – and get the chance to see famous chefs like Dean Edwards sharing his cookery secrets with us?”
The event will be taking place throughout the pedestrianised city centre from 10am to 5.30pm on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th July and from 11am to 4pm on Sunday 31st July. Admission is free. For further details visit www.worcesterfoodiefestival.com, follow @WorcFoodieFest on twitter or at www.facebook.com/FoodieWorcester.
Published 14/07/2016
