Savour The Flavour Of Hampshire Food Festival

With over 100 different events held at dozens of locations across Hampshire, the fortnight long Hampshire Food Festival (23rd June to 8th July) celebrates all that is great about food and drink from Hampshire.

Hampshire food and drink producers will be opening their doors for special farm walks – from cheese and water buffalo farms to vineyards and lavender fields, as well as talks, demonstrations, workshops for adults and children, tastings and open days, feasts and barbecues.

Visiting celebrity TV chefs include Gino D’Acampo on July 6th and Momma Cherri of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares fame on July 4th, plus TV wine expert Joe Wadsack on 5th July all at Basingstoke’s Festival Place. Food writer Prue Leith, recently appointed Chair of the School Food Trust, and founder of Leith’s School of Food and Drink will be at The Point in Eastleigh on July 4th and nutritionist Patrick Holford will be presenting ‘Food for the Brain’ at Hursley Naturopathic Centre on June 30th.

Special events also include Stockbridge Trout Festival on June 30th and July 1st, Hampshire Water Festival in Andover with a water themed market on Saturday July 7th, and the Festival of Beekeeping at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens on 7th and 8th July with honey cookery demos and family activities.

Hampshire’s own chefs will be giving cookery demonstrations and serving special local themed menus at their restaurants, town centres will be hosting mini festivals and Hampshire Farmers’ Markets will be in full swing at weekends in Winchester, Petersfield and Romsey, giving you every opportunity to try an array of food and drink from Hampshire.

In its 8th year, Hampshire Food Festival, on the south coast of England, is one of the UK’s largest food festivals. Organised by county food group Hampshire Fare, the Hampshire Food Festival retains its individuality by the sheer variety of events on offer and the range of individuals, businesses and communities who take part in celebrating their local food.

Says Sophie Boxall who is organising the Hampshire Food Festival “this really is a fantastic opportunity to visit Hampshire, try out the tremendous variety of delicious food and drink produced here, and also to explore the beautiful Hampshire countryside and market towns. There’ll be a whole variety of fun, interesting and unusual events to tickle your tastebuds!”

Many events will be free to attend, and there will be special savings for ‘Friends of Hampshire Fare’, a newly launched membership scheme for food lovers.

Hampshire Food Festival runs from Saturday 23rd June to Sunday 8th July with daytime, evenings and weekend events at numerous different venues across the whole of Hampshire throughout the fortnight.

To find out more, visit Hampshirefare.co.uk.