Foodies are in for a fabulous season of culinary delights as summer Britain becomes a food lover’s paradise. Amongst a cornucopia of summerlicious events are esteemed traditions like strawberries and cream at Wimbledon- time, cockles, whelks and winkles by the seaside and picnic teas in the park. You can opt for tastings, chef demos and local producers galore alongside botanical brilliance at the Hampton Court Flower Show, or eat your heart out at themed fests like Pembrokeshire’s Fish Week, Isle of Wight’s Garlic Festival or Hoxton, London’s Great Indian Food Feast. Indulge in some serious supping at classic events like Ludlow Food Festival, where this year’s highlights include a Sausage and Ale Trail, tastings of 300 puddings and dozens of free cookery workshops for kids. Turn up the heat with Grillstock, Bristol’s annual family-friendly barbecue feast of ‘meat, music and mayhem’ where you can take part in chili pepper, hot dog and hotwing eating competitions and cheer on teams such as Smokus Pocus, Grillers in the Mist and Apocalypse Cow as they compete for the coveted title,‘King of the Grill’. You can even satisfy those Fourth of July yearnings with a PBJ hot dog and champagne at Fitzrovia, London’s Bubbledogs or an old-fashioned Louisiana crawfish boil at Dalston’s Pamela Bar.
Or, save your alfresco appetite for the Port Eliot Festival, where food takes centre stage. Port Eliot is a uniquely creative and laid back festival of words, imagination, fashion, flowers, music and a well-deserved reputation for phenomenal food. Over the Festival’s extended weekend, a mellow mix of local chefs and top foodie legends offer talks, tastes and demonstrations celebrating all aspects of food from planting and growing to prepping and eating.
Summer eating is obviously thirsty work. That’s where the London Craft Beer Festival comes in, with 30 top independent breweries bringing over 250 of their best beers for you to sip and savour along with great music and abundant food. There’s also the Great British Beer Festival at London’s Olympia, where you can partake in tutored tasting sessions, enjoy traditional pub games and sample real ale from hundreds of breweries across the UK as well as an unparalleled range of international beers.
Further information:
Port Eliot Festival, Cornwall, 28-31 July, www.porteliotfestival.com
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, 5-10 July, www.rhs.org.uk
Ludlow Food Festival, Ludlow Castle, 9-11 September, www.foodfestival.co.uk
Image: Gorgeous gardens and phenomenal food, Port Eliot Festival, Cornwall, photo by Fiona Campbell, courtesy Michael Barrett, The Press Office
Article by Judith Schrut. Email Judith at judith0777@gmail.com