The free Lancaster Food and Drink Festival is taking place today (Sunday 6th May) and tomorrow Monday at Lancaster Leisure Park.
Sponored by Asda, this gastronomic celebration will be a regular event on any foodie fans calendar and features top quality local producers, growers, artisans, bars and respected food retailers, joined by six well known celebrated chefs in a packed timetable of foodie festivities over the two days.
This morning, Head chef and co-owner of the Parkers Arms in Clitheroe Stosie Madi will be cooking up a treat with her inspirational demonstration. Stosie believes in cooking simple, modern food using only the best local produce in the Ribble Valley. She is the official chef to the British High Commissioner, and has cooked for Princess Anne and Prince Edward, as well as high level admiralty and dignitaries. Her restaurant has been awarded with the highest accreditation from Taste Lancashire for the last 4 years running!
Later at 1.00pm, Rob Talbot from the Lune Valley Smoke House and the Redwell Inn will showcasing some of his products from the smoke house, allowing viewers to come and taste them. His entrepreneurial streak culminated with the purchase of the Redwell Inn where he cooks good honest food. He is passionate about flavours and his love for food production led to the smoke house which produces cured & smoked fish, meats, poultry and cheeses.
On Monday, Chris Yates from the Shoulder of Mutton in Bury will be headlining the show with his exceptional culinary talent. Chris was a finalist in the Gordon Ramsay Scholarship and has won numerous awards including Best Newcomer in 2009. Also on Monday, Justine Forrest will be cooking for us and telling us her remarkable story.
Cooking healthier meals for her husband and three children she lost over 14 stone in weight and is proof that you can lose weight without faddy diets or impacting on important family meal times together.
During both days Philippa James, Lancashire Life’s renowned food editor will be giving cookery demonstrations, bringing her enthusiasm for well-cooked food to her hungry audience. Philippa has won many prestigious awads, including “Producer of the Year Award” and in 2007 she became a UKTV Food Hero. A food consultant for Booths and regular guest on BBC Radio Lancashire, Philippa is known as an ambassador for our region, it’s farmers and their local produce.
Also generously giving his time to share his culinary ideas over both days, is Craig Johnson from the Sun Hotel in Lancaster. Inspirational Craig is a young, exciting, energetic chef who’s so passionate about local, fresh food that he’s often out shooting or fishing for produce that appears on the Sun Hotels’ menu later that day.
In the demonstration kitchen area tutored tastings will take place throughout the weekend giving our visitors a chance to taste and try some mouth watering Lancashire specialties.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to get up close and personal with the experts, get new and exciting recipe ideas as well as see the professionals at work!
The majority of the show, set in Lancaster Leisure Park’s grounds is undercover and in various marquees there will be displays of meats including fish, game and beef, baked goods such as bread, biscuits and cakes as well as many spices and oils. In the drinks tent, there’ll be locally brewed beers, ciders, fruit juices, natural cordials and locally ground coffees.
The Bay Roadshow will be on site on Sunday, hand keeping the timetable for the day and directing visitors to the different attractions and shows, Whilst on Monday “Hum, Holler and Sing”, a 30 strong Lancaster based choir will be treating us to an alfresco performance.
The main sponsor of the event is Asda, but associate sponsors are Thwaites, Lancaster Brewery, GB Properties, GB Antiques Centre and Fat Media who are marketing the event.
All the celebrated chefs demonstrations are free of charge, but the shows are ticketed so the organisers can monitor numbers and interest. Tickets for the100 seat, hour long demonstrations can be collected on the day (first come first served).
All events take place in the VIP Marquee and may fill up quickly but don’t be disappointed, the cookery demonstrations also have live streaming to our giant video screen in the centre of the park and the celebrity chefs will be available to talk to after each show.
If you would like a ticket for any of the special events, they are available from Sunday morning at the festival. Any enquiries, please call: 01524 844734.
– More info: http://www.lfdf.co.uk/