Rhys Richards finds out just what’s on at the Abergavenny Food Festival, one of the highlights of the Welsh culinary calendar.
It’s that time of the year again, where food fanatics gather for a two-day feast at the Abergavenny Food Festival; the world’s cuisines and their chefs come to little old Abergavenny to share their passion for food with fellow grub lovers.
The festival boasts a history of jaw dropping line ups, and this year is set to be just as impressive. Masterchef’s Monica Galetti, award winning chef and restauranteur Cyrus Todiwala, Spanish chef Jose Pizarro and Riverford Field Kitchen’s Jane Baxter will be headlining the event with tasters, cooking classes and exclusive new book reveals for guests to get their teeth stuck into. The food experience doesn’t stop there however, as many other chefs will be providing masterclasses, tutored tastings, chef demos and some personalised attention from the Artisan Kitchen School will ensure that the Monmouthshire market town is a foodie’s paradise.
Running alongside these tremendous food exhibitions is the market, where guests have the opportunity to take a small bite of the festival home with them. The market is where you’ll find hundreds of different stalls with a diverse selection of food for guests to try and buy ranging from meat markets to international cuisines. To supplement these dazzling dishes will be the gin palace, making its debut at the festival this year. Artisan distillers from across the UK will bring their gins to the festival for people to enjoy…responsibly.
While the hustle and bustle of this booming food festival takes centre stage, a more relaxed environment is also available should anyone like to chill out, have a drink and sample even more food. The night market, open till 10:00pm, is where you’ll find a series of street food stalls on show while people socialise and party long into the night.
Bringing a music festival vibe to this year event are the evening concerts at Abergavenny Castle. Crowds can boogie to some live music from RSVP Music, CoCo & The Butterfields and Dana Immanuel and the Stolen Band. Set in the beautiful Monmouthshire market town guests can expect mouth watering food and drink provided by professionals and exciting, non-stop entertainment suited for groups of all ages and sizes.
Abergavenny Food Festival, Venues across Abergavenny, Sat 17 + Sun 18 Sept. Tickets: Prices vary per event. Info: 018 7385 1643 / www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com