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/ 

Humble by Nature, Great by Design

I have followed the progress of Humble by Nature since my days as an officer with Monmouthshire County Council.

At a time when the County Farms Unit was reviewing the number of farms and small holdings which it owned, Upper Meend Farm, in Penallt near Monmouth, came vacant.

Rumours began to circulate suggesting that Kate Humble was interested in buying it and establishing a rural skills school.

Gradually the plans came to fruition, and Humble By Nature was born - offering a range of classes and courses including Animal Husbandry, Small Holding and Wood Fired Oven building. Indeed on our visit a small group were actively involved in Dry Stone Walling.

We were there, however, for the latest part of the development the opening of the Farm Shop and Café.

Kate and her team have gathered together some superb local products, and we are lucky that South East Wales has more than its fair share of Great Taste Award winners. From Liz Knight’s foraged foods to Graham Waddington’s Native Breeds charcuterie and Halen Mon Sea Salt the shop is a foodie dream.

I was very pleased to see both Angharad Underwood’s PreservationSociety jams and pickles including the epic Candied Jalapenos and Rhian Short’s range of Usk River chutneys, Tudor Brewery ales and beers, Calon Wen organic cheeses and butter and possibly the most local product Wye Valley Cheese made on the adjacent farm. The shop reminded me a little of Wright's Food Emporium, though without the Continental Selections, and seeing a display of Wright's Tomato Catsup reinforced that feeling.

As well as Kate’s own books the shop stocks a number of publications aimed at getting you to produce a little yourself, even if you only have room for a grow-bag or a couple of pots.

Most of the items sold in the shop are used to make the delicious meals available in the adjacent café.

A wide range of teas and coffees are available, and the coffee roasters and tea blenders have also made the bespoke House Blends for Humble by Nature.

Breads are by Alex Gooch and they taste as good as they look.

The menu is seasonal, changing monthly, and offers a good choice of light meals, mains and desserts.

We opted for the Pulled Pork Sandwich which came on toasted Sourdough - which had a malty taste- and was accompanied by a small salad with edible flowers from the Edible Garden next to the shop,

 and the Farmers Lunch. That would have fed a very hungry farmer indeed!  Two thick slices of ham, Wye Valley Cheese, A small frittata, Beetroot, chutney and jelly with huge hunks of bread filled one plate whilst a salad covered the other.

All made to order in the kitchen the food was superb and just what you would need after a morning on the farm, or indeed a good shopping experience! The mains were so filling that , despite the desserts looking and sounding delicious, we could not manage one.

The shop and café will become destinations themselves, as well as the range of courses and events on the farm.

Humble by Nature has come a long way since inception and will develop further.

Already though it deserves to be called Local and Great.

We paid for our lunches and most purchases in the shop but did receive a small goodie bag of shop goods and a free tea and coffee.

Latest Updates to Anergavenny Food Festival

The Official Programme for the fest dropped through the letterbox this morning and I am able to share it with you.

Still not everything revealed, you'll have to wait for the website on 16th July, but more flesh on the bones!

Also today, Arun Kapil of Green Saffron Spices revealed that he will be doing a Demo in the Market Hall on Sunday 21st. Arun's Masterclasses and Tastings have always been sell out attractions so here is your chance to see Arun in action for free. Doubtless he will have a few copies of his book, due for publication in September with him too.

But more of the latest news:

Dont forget the online box office opens on 16th July and the full programme can be downloaded then.

Abergavenny Box Office News

Just a week until the Abergavenny Food Festival Box office goes live on Wednesday 16 July. The full programme will be released that day on line on line at abergavennyfoodfestival.com and tickets can be bought there or through the Borough Theatre on 01873 850805. If you buy buy tickets on line you will be entered into a prize draw. One lucky winner will walk off with a fabulous Flint & Flame Classic Knife Set worth over a thousand pounds.(This is an on line only draw)

As always there is a stellar line up of chefs demonstrating, holding masterclasses or talking about food and their craft which this year includes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall who’ll be appearing at the Borough Theatre on the Friday evening,

With Wahaca opening its first restaurant outside London in Cardiff this autumn Tommi Miers will be a big attraction.

Cyrus Todiwala has long been a Festival Favourite, whether for his spicy delights served up in the Castle area or for his entertaining views in the Rude Health Rants, and this year he is teamed up with Incredible Spice Men partner Tony Singh. Whatever the pair get up to will be highly entertaining and full of flavour.

There's a distinct taste of the  Middle East as Sam and Sam Clark of Moro bring their Moorish foods  and Iranian born Sabrina Gayhour introduces the taste of Persiana, 

More chefs will be appearing but these may just whet your appetite. Though demos in the market hall are free some events are ticketed and the Box Office can supply those that you want.

The Children's Food Academy has been a consistent feature, this year sponsored by the Organic Centre Wales, and adults get their chance too.

Amongst the new skills you can acquire at The Artisan Kitchen School (in the Masonic Hall) are making Bacon with James Swift from Trealy Farm, brewing your own Sake with Marie Cheong Thong and entering the world of Seasonal Fruit Liqueurs with Lindy Wildsmith. 

 With a full programme of events around town, over 200 stalls and a brand new Night Market on the Saturday with Street Food in the Lower Brewery Yard, as well as the Party in the Castle there really is something for everyone.

Stroller Tickets  for the main markets start at £6.50 (early-bird prices) and children accompanied by a paying adult get in for free, the Night Market is free to Stroller holders or £2 if you don't have one. Ticketed events start at £8.

The Box Office goes live on 16th July and you can download a full ‘diary at a glance’ to help plan your visit.

Finally a question, What do Abergavenny Food Festival favourites Tommi Miers, James Ramsden and Arun Kapil have in common?  They all trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School and were taught by Rory O'Connell.

Rory is a highly regarded chef and teacher and his first book Master It was Observer Food Magazine Book of the Year 2013.

I'm delighted to say that Rory will be taking part in the festival this year and is a MUST!

Check http://www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com/ for further information and to book tickets from 16 July or call The Borough Theatre 01873 850805

Abergavenny 2014 - a sneak preview

September may seem a long way off, but if you are planning something as big as the Abergavenny Food Festival you are already hard at work planning and preparing.

Certainly the office was buzzing when I called by to spend some time with Chief Executive Heather Myers. With the festival heading rapidly for its 16^th Anniversary and a new team in place over the last 18 months or so, I was keen to find out what we could expect this year.

The departures of Kim Waters and Martin Orbach, key players in the development of the festival, have given an opportunity to review and plan ahead.

Foot and Mouth devastated local farming communities and businesses and the festival developed partly to refocus communities, develop business and show the resilience of farmers and the towns near which they live. Over the years it grew and grew and is now the premier food festival in the UK attracting around 30,000 visitors each year.

With the town having only 13,000 residents they are outnumbered 2:1 each year Heather recognises this and is determined to foster a sense of community - very much part of the original ethos of the event -  by finding new ways for local people to engage with the Festival .

One way is by offering a 10% discount on ticket prices to anyone with a (local) NP7 postcode. Another innovation is the introduction of the Night Market (in the Brewery Yard) this year which will start after the main festival has closed for the day and will offer street food as well as an opportunity to visit at a quieter time. Admission is free to anyone with a wristband or for a small fee without.

 The Food Festival is still a social enterprise, and as part of this remit supports the community by giving local voluntary organisations eg clubs the chance work alongside the core team on elements of logistic support such as car-parking  to help raise funds for local community benefit.  Schools in particular are heavily involved here, supplying many of the Criw who steward, assist and help both exhibitors and visitors alike.

Of the 30,000 visitors each year around 20,000 come on the Saturday so this year Sunday will be marketed as more family friendly, less crowded and more room for buggies etc.

There are also plans to help smaller and start-up businesses for whom the 2 day festival can present big problems of cost and logistics, particularly for those exhibiting fresh products such as bread. Baking all night Friday, exhibiting all day Saturday then baking overnight again to have fresh product on Sunday is a killer!

The Priory Yard has been designated for them and a special pricing structure introduced. For small Monmouthshire producers a special rate is offered again to demonstrate that the festival wants to support and help small businesses grow. This should help businesses with limited stocks and resources to exhibit on what is a recognised big stage and build for the future.

So in many ways a back to the start approach aimed at supporting the community and developing small businesses – much to be welcomed.

But it’s not all backward looking.

With Martin Orbach leaving the post of Director of Planning Joanna Busk, the editor of Fork Magazine has been drafted in and is looking to develop the festival further.

 

The Children’s Food Academy, sponsored by the Organic Centre Wales, will be housed in the Castle Grounds again but hopefully in a larger marquee and, whilst top chefs will continue to mentor the participants, the ingredients may well become more family friendly, after all we don’t all have a spare Pheasant Breast and a little Truffle Oil knocking around in the fridge.

 

The Castle will still hold the Saturday Night Party but it will become more centre stage during the day as well. Already hosting the Rude Health Rants, where some of the burning issues in food are discussed, the Festival Debate is likely to join them. Usually the Debate, which attracts some major names to discuss serious issues about food, is held at the end of the day and maybe loses a little of its importance by being peripheral to the festival rather than a main plank. Moving it to the Castle for a lunchtime start will attract a bigger audience and provide some talking points for visitors.

 With Rants both before and after the Debate the Castle will be the focus of the more serious side of the festival, but still offer a lot to see, do and eat! Enrol the children into the Food Academy, grab some lunch and enjoy the debate!

Back in the main areas it’s business as usual, over 200 stalls over several venues, Chef Demonstrations and Masterclasses. Abergavenny has a great reputation for attracting the best and this year will be better than ever. Although the full line-up has yet to be announced, it will involve leading lights of the culinary world and will be as big an attraction as ever.

 

Whilst it may be too late to influence this year’s line-up, Heather and Joanna are looking to the future and will be travelling to the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine in May to make connections and learn what makes a new festival shoot to prominence after just one year. Expect changes to Abergavenny in the future, but building on strong traditions.

In practical terms there will be a few changes this year, but all aimed to improve the visitor and exhibitor experience.

Last year an App for the festival was introduced and proved popular, though the limited bandwidth available in Abergavenny made it quite slow. Approaches are being made to boost the bandwidth available over the festival weekend to speed things up and, whilst there will not be a dedicated App this year the website http://www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com/  is being redesigned to make mobile access easier and faster.

The website itself has undergone change too, the bright orange used in logos for years has now been supplemented with a brown ‘paper’ treatment, more in keeping with the soil from which all good food derives.

As mentioned local residents will be able to get 10% off admission prices but everyone can benefit from reduced prices as Stroller Tickets can be bought online at 2012 prices from April 7^th till August 31^st.  Saturday £8.00, Sunday £6.50, Weekend £12.00 (prices from 1 September will be: £10.00, £8.00, £15.00) and there’s Free entry to children under 16

 

Keep in touch with developments by signing up for the newsletter here http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001qbttOa0cV5pIstewD4RdbQ==

So put the weekend of 20^th and 21^st September in your diaries and head for the UK’s best food festival. See you there!