Masterclasses at Newport Food Festival

Newport Food Festival is back and bigger than ever!

The beauty of this festival is that it is firmly rooted in the community, using the Market as one main venue and encouraging local producers and traders to take part and showcase what the area has to offer

Local chefs will be providing many of the demonstrations but as always there is a fair sprinkling of top names as well.

The Riverfront  is the venue for the Masterclasses, which are kept small so that you get up close and personal with the chefs, see exactly what they are doing and have the chance to talk to them both during and after the class.

A very strong line-up will be on stage and for your £7.50 admission you will get a great insight into some top dishes and techniques.

Starting the sessions is Emma Evans who runs Secret Supper Club, was a finalist in My Kitchen Rules and is about to open a new restaurant in Caerleon. Green’s will be located in the old Drovers pub and will offer top class food and a great atmosphere.

An Italian touch will come from Sergio Pasquelle of Gemellis restaurant in Newport. Expect superbly executed dishes and some insight into great flavours.

Next will be Newport boy, and Festival Patron, Hywel Jones who will show why Lucknam Park regularly retains its Michelin Star.

Newly ensconced in his own restaurant in Penarth, Caerleon born James Summerin will demonstrate why he has a superb reputation for fine dining food and why Penarth can expect a Star soon.

Head Chef at the Parkway in Cwmbran, Clive Williams is next up and, having seen his demonstrations in the past, I can guarantee that he will offer some tasty treats and a great insight into cooking at a very high level.

Local hotels will be represented again when a chef from the Celtic Manor offers an insight into their cooking. As yet the name isn’t confirmed but when you cook for the Ryder Cup and NATO conferences you have to be at the top of your game, and all of the Celtic Manor chefs certainly are.

Finally Festival Favourite and multi-award winning Anand George of Purple Poppadom brings Modern Indian cuisine to the stage and demand for his Masterclass will be high.

Unlike some events, where a couple of hundred people are trying to see what the culinary champions are doing, the Newport Food Festival Masterclasses are small and intimate, you are right up with the chefs and with only 20 people in the audience hey are like private lessons.

Tickets are available from Friday 1^st August and check the Website at http://www.newportfoodfestival.co.uk/ 

Building for the future

 

If we are to have a good future in food we have to bring up a new generation of cooks. Not only for the restaurant business but good home cooks too who can serve delicious and nutritious food for healthy families.

At a time when cookery is decreasingly taught in schools, or largely consists of assembling pre-bought ingredients, it is good to see the Food Festivals taking on the challenge.

Abergavenny has a Secondary Schools Challenge - won this year by King Henry VIII School, but I will concentrate on Newport Food Festival and The Celtic Cook Off as brilliant examples.

Since its inception Newport Food Festival has run Teen Chef, in association with the City's Youth Service. Youth Clubs and organisations compete in heats over a period of around three months, with young people designing, sourcing and cooking their menus.

A semi final is held in the Market Hall in Newport a couple of weeks before the actual Food Festival with the winning teams going head to head on the day of the festival.

Whether a finalist or not each competitor will have gained knowledge and skills that will serve them well in future life.

The competition is hugely supported by Hywel Jones, Michelin Starred at Lucknam Park and a Newport boy himself. Hywel mentors and judges both the semi final and final, sharing his immense knowledge of food and kindling enthusiasm amongst the competitors.

But it goes further, the winning team go to Lucknam Park for a morning in the kitchen with Hywel and his team before having lunch in the restaurant. This year Hywel is cooking the Food Festival Supper and will have one of the winners of the first Teen Chef in his brigade on the evening. As in previous years students from Coleg Gwent will also join the brigade gaining valuable experience of prepping and cooking in a restaurant environment.

Education and training are also high on the agenda in the Celtic Cook Off. Held during, but parallel to West Cork Food Week, the Cook Off is organised at the West Cork Hotel by a small group of local producers and enthusiasts. Chefs from the six Celtic Nations and Regions cook off against each other for the title.

There is, however, a big emphasis on skills and knowledge for younger cooks.

A secondary Schools Cookery Competition takes place in the Mercy Heights School and one of the competing chefs is the judge - this year it was Welsh Chef Gareth Johns from the Wynnstay in Machynlleth. Gareth reported that the standard of cooking was high and the winners thoroughly deserved their title.

On the evening of the Cook Off last year's winning chef cooks a dinner, Gary O'Hanlon Of Viewmount House won last year, and the previous years Schools champions join the winner to prep an element of the dinner.

About to enjoy my breakfast I was delighted to see Gary with the winners poring over the recipe and order of work for their contribution, an Apricot, Date and Organic Blueberry Compote to accompany the Cheese Plate. They went into the kitchen and made the dish and a little more to spare.

 

On the evening of the Cook Off the two girls started the night by giving a quick demo to the 200 or so in the audience, and passed around tasters! What a great experience for 16 year olds and what a learning experience.

During the day of the competition trainees from Catering Colleges come to the hotel and have Master Classes from the competing chefs and make canapés for the audience as well as acting as Sous Chefs during prep and on the night. Again a learning opportunity for them.

 

 

 

Similarly to Hywel Jones inviting the winners of Teen Chef to his restaurant the winner of the Celtic Cook Off invites the Schools Competition winner.

Two great initiatives to get more young people involved with food and two which have made a real difference to young lives.

 

Hywel Jones to cook Festival Supper

The super on the evening of the Newport Food Festival is becoming a tradition and a must. This year it will be on 4^th October and back in the Market Hall.

That is just one of the changes as the Supper develops.

So far the three courses have each been made by different local businesses but this year Michelin Starred Hywel Jones of Lucknam Park will produce the entire menu.

 

Hywel is a great friend of the festival and a Newport boy as well.

The supper will consist of a three course meal, created and prepared Hywel  with most of the produce sourced from Newport Market.

 

Not only has Hywel done demonstrations and Masterclasses but he also judges the Teen Chef competition and encourages youngsters to get into catering.

 

The winning team in the competition get to spend a morning in the kitchen at Lucknam Park as part of their prize. Rumour has it that last year’s winners will be involved in the kitchens at the Food Festival prepping part of the supper, a great experience for them.

Most of the prep will be done by Hywel’s own team and whipped over the Severn Bridge in refrigerated transport. Thanks to the Support of Relais and Chateaux, who own Lucknam Park, Hywel will also bring in some of his brigade from the Michelin Starred restaurant.

The exciting menu is reproduced here

 

 

Tickets go on sale on Thursday 22nd August through the Box Office