Foodies Festival returns this weekend

Festival on Hove Lawns celebrate their 10th anniversary

Foodies Festival, the UK’s biggest celebration of food and drink, returns to Hove Lawns this May Bank Holiday launching their 10th anniversary celebrations with celebrity chefs, new food and drink theatres, artisan producers and more street food than you can shake a satay stick at!

Visitors to the festival can look forward to toasting Foodies’ big year in the New Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre, where experts Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe will guide visitors through this season’s best bubblies from the south coast and around the world, while beer expert Melissa Cole hosts Food and Beer Matching masterclasses with local craft beers.

A New Tasting Theatre is an exciting addition to the festival with masterclasses designed to introduce festival-goers to the latest foods and flavours with Bee Keeping, Oyster Shucking, Raw and Vegan Food masterclasses available. Visitors can also forage for herbs with Sussex based Sarah Watson of Wild Feast who will educate visitors where to find and pick wild herbs and how to create delicious wild-inspired cocktails and booze infused canapés.

Fans of MasterChef can watch 2014 winner Ping Coombes cook her signature dishes from the series in the Chefs Theatre and try her dishes from her Malaysian Pop-Up on the Street Food Avenue. Ping is joined by other TV chefs including Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite and Food Glorious Food judge and Brighton baker Stacie Stewart.

Other Top local chefs appearing at the festival include:

Ping Coombes – 2014 MasterChef winner
John Whaite – Great British Bake Off winner
Douglas McMaster – Silo
Josh Stanzl – Brighton i360
Dave Mothersill – The Coal Shed
Alun Sperring – The Chilli Pickle
Alex Head – The Social Pantry
Stephen Crane – Ockenden Manor
Andrew McKenzie – Drakes
Rob Silverstone – A Mule in Brighton
Ollie Couillaud – Sam’s of Brighton
Matt Follas – The Casterbridge & MasterChef Winner
Matty Bowling – Terre a Terre
Saira Hamilton – small aubergine

Cooks of all levels can watch these chefs cook their favourite summer recipes, inspiring them to recreate these dishes at home and experiment with new flavours and ingredients.

The Cake & Bake Theatre is an inspiration for passionate bakers with top cake makers and bakeries, including Stacie Stewart and ‘She Who Bakes’ author Britt Whyatt sharing their top tips for baking delicious summer cakes. Visitors can also enjoy 3D cake modelling, Chocolate Making and Sugar-Craft masterclasses and a complementing Chocolate, Cake and Bake Village selling bakes, jams, gadgets and baking essentials – a paradise for Great British Bake Off fans.

The Street Food Avenue can be found at the heart of the festival offering a huge selection of hot and cold dishes from around the world. Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican, French and African cuisines are just some of the cuisines visitors can tuck into at communal tables in the Feasting Tent.

An extended Producers Market hosting over 200 artisan producers showcases Sussex’s natural larder of quality produce and the abundance of locally produced foods; visitors will be spoilt for choice with samples, and for what to buy to take home and enjoy.

The BBQ Arena is perfect for fans of outdoor cooking with daily ‘King of the Grill’ cook-offs. Or for those brave enough, the famous Chilli Eating Competition challenges entrants to try and break last year’s record of 14 varieties of chillies eaten without a drink to win the Chilli Eating Crown.

After a day of feasting and fun, foodies can relax with a spot on the grass and soak in the atmosphere with live music from the entertainment stage and a refreshing cocktail, glass of bubbly or a Pimm’s from the Giant Pimm’s Teapot and Galleon Mojito bars.

Little foodies can explore their taste buds and learn basic skills with Picnic in the Park themed masterclasses in the Childrens Cookery Theatre, where Kiddy Cook will show them how to make finger sandwiches, jellies and chocolate bugs.