GET set to tantalise your tastebuds at Wales’ tastiest weekend – the 26th Abergavenny Food Festival.
The event takes over the town this weekend (September 21-22), featuring hundreds of exhibitors in six market venues, cooking demos, talks, debates and family activities, plus tons of mouthwatering munchies.
Party at the Castle (Supplied)
A Stroller Ticket offers an immersive experience, with the Robert Price-sponsored Kitchen Stage in the Market Hall hosting top UK chefs, including Monmouthshire’s own Chris Harrod of the Michelin-starred Whitebrook; Jonathan Woolway of Swansea’s The Shed; and Gwenann Davies of The Felin Fach Griffin gastropub.
Chris Harrod, the Chef and Patron of the Whitebrook
The Borough Theatre hosts Jay Rayner, award-winning writer and presenter of Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet talking to Tim Hayward (2024 Restaurant Writer of the Year) about his first cookbook Nights Out At Home: Recipes and Stories from 25 years as a restaurant critic.
Jay Rayner is at Abergavenny Borough Theatre on Saturday, September 21
And on Sunday, Tom Parker Bowles will lift the curtain on royal kitchens past and present when he discusses his new book, Cooking and The Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III with Saturday Kitchen‘s Matt Tebbutt, who lives in nearby Llantilio Crossenny.
Tom Parker Bowles (Supplied)
Individually ticketed events also include the Drinks Theatre (tutored tastings) and Meet The Author sessions.
Sipping and talking will be Pete Brown (Beer Writer of the Year); charcutier James Swift and Adrian Morales Maillo (Sobremesa Drinks, Bannau Brycheiniog); Pocket Wine Guide editor Margaret Rand; wine writer and eco warrior Jane Rakison (Saturday Kitchen Live); Kate Hawkings (Aperitif: A Spirited Guide…) and Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell.
Lively sessions are also guaranteed at the castle’s Octopus Books Dome, with the likes of George Egg, anarchist cook, and DIY chef, celebrated for his Insta ‘snack hacks’, and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall talking to BBC Radio 4’s This Natural World presenter Martha Kearney.
Author sessions include vegetarian cook Anna Jones (Easy Wins); Dina Macki (Bahari: Recipes from an OmaniKitchen and Beyond); Financial Times columnists Tim Hayward (Steak: The Whole Story) and Alice Lascelles (The Martini: The Ultimate Guide…); plus food entrepreneur Charlie Bigham (Supper with Charlie Bigham: Favourite Food for Family & Friends).
And not forgetting the Fire Stage in the castle grounds, featuring ‘Hangfire’ duo Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn, Beefy Boy’ Murf (Murphy), BBQ supremo Genevieve Taylor, and cook, forager and traveller Val Warner.
Feeling hungry yet? Then get down to Aber (see www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com).
