York Food Festival is in full swing with dozens of stalls in Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square, cookery demo’s, dinners, talks and tastings from 10am into the evening. You’ve still got time to go, it runs until the weekend.
York Food Festival runs until Sun 29th Sept
Here is our pick of the events:
Wednesday 25th September
12 noon Martel Smith Cookery Demo: Martel is the chef behind the Dawnay Arms at Newton on Ouse, and a talented chef so it promises to be good.
3pm Robert Ramsden from the specialist wholesaler Delifresh and ex Angel at Hetton chef whose infectious enthusiasm for Yorkshire produce is hugely entertaining.
4pm The respected food historian Annie Gray will be demonstrating historic food techniques.
Thursday 26th September
Chef Robert Ramsden
Besides a wander round the stalls midweek when it’s not so busy, and a glass in the Champagne tent with a bite to eat, we will definitely be going to this:
7.30pm Horsemeat and Fish Talk part of the Science of our Food theme for the Festival. A must with two York University professors telling us about the seafood we can eat with a clear conscience and in the light of the horsemeat scandal, the authenticity of our food.
Friday 27th September
2pm Christopher Trotter demo: Christopher has the wonderful title of Fife Food Ambassador. I spent a gloriously sunny week last year visiting (and writing about) some of Fife’s foremost food producers. Christopher was (and is) full of insights as well as a very good cook.
Amy Lansdown-Nasson runs the Friday Curry Club
Then home for one of Amy’s curry’s. We wrote about Amy and her Friday Curry Club. She ran a ‘Dine at my Table’ event on Sunday, we couldn’t be there, but we’ve written about her here and it will make a great Friday night feast after all this food talk.
Saturday 2th September
This is going to be a busy day
11am Wild Food Walk with Diane Hamill and Wild Harvest
1pm A wild food demo with friend, chef and wild food expert Steph Moon
2pm An unmissable food and cocktail demo from the wild man of food, Michael O’Hare of York’s craziest restaurant, the Blind Swine.
4pm Christopher Trotter again, well you have to support your mates
5pm Chemistry of drinks part of the Science theme again, a free event by Professor Paul Watson
Sunday 29th September
We’ll be having a Food Festival brunch on Parliament Street taking our pick from: Ambiente tapas, Cafe No. 8, Bleiker’s Smokehouse, risotto from Gallo Rice who I never realised are based in Elvington. Indian snacks from Mango vegetarian in Wetherby and the York Butchers’ Pie Stand.
Then we’ll be heading for some of the stalls, Porcus, rare breed pork from Todmorden, the sweetest strawberries from East End Nurseries, fabulous cheese from Epicure’s Larder, bread from Food for Thought aka the Haxby Baker, beef from the Dales limestone pastures at Hellifield Highland Beef and to finish, some beautiful Lauden chocolates
12.30pm An introduction to Wine Tasting from the wine academy. With a poor memory for wine, I’ll be happy to go back to basics with Laura from the Wine Academy.
6pm We’ll close our Festival with a trip out of town to Heslington and the Deramore Arms for a chocolate cocktail and a chocolate brownie and some acoustic music.
For the full programme of What’s On, visit www.yorkfoodfestival.com