CAN COOK, WILL COOK – Local chefs looking forward to cooking up a storm in this year’s Bournemouth Food & Drink Festival
With just over a week to go until the launch of the fifth Bournemouth Food & Drink Festival, its organisers are promising more than ever to tantalise your tastebuds.
This year’s festival runs from June 19-28 and offers an exciting mix of foodie events and entertainment from its bustling ‘hub’ in Bournemouth Square and other locations around the town.
Highlights include live cooking in the Demo Kitchen (June 19- 21), a street food festival, a local farmers and producers market (June 19-21 and 26-28) and musical performers from home and abroad.
New this year is the People’s Kitchen (June 20) in which teams of local professionals, including Bournemouth Mayor Cllr John Adams, will do battle in fun, 20-minute, cook-offs.
Visitors to the Food & Drink Festival have increased year on year since it began in 2010, with around 60,000 people now believed to take part.
In 2014, footfall in Bournemouth rose by 20 per cent during the festival with over 9000 extra people visiting the town centre during the 10-day event.
The festival’s music programme also promises a feast for the ears, with jazz, soul, folk and rock including Sound of Soul UK and Bournemouth Jazz Festival taking to the Town Square stage.
Festival founder Patrick Marmion said: “What started as a small celebration of food in 2010 has grown to become a 10-day festival of great food, music and entertainment, which brings thousands of people into the town centre.
“We have a legion of fine, local producers taking part in our growers market, a kaleidoscope of fresh food from around the world and many opportunities for people to participate; whether through our popular demo kitchen which also hosts our Kids Kitchen (June 21), or with the 120 students from Bournemouth & Poole College who will be passing on their skills.
“The whole of Bournemouth Town Centre will be filled with the smell of tantalising food – and it’s going to be hard to resist.”
For more details and times of events visit: www.bournemouthfoodanddrink.co.uk
