NEWS FEED
Food lovers in their thousands flocked to Christchurch Food Festival amid beautiful sunshine. Once again the festival was expanded to include not only the traditional High Street market but also the festival village on the Quomps at Christchurch Quay.
Traders did great business as the Quomps provided plenty of space for people to relax and enjoy the food and drink they had bought from the stalls.
Demonstrations at the ‘Cook at Purewell’ were well-attended with mouth-watering dishes shown by the festival’s patron Lesley Waters as well as TV chef Dean Edwards and Executive Chef of Rick Stein restaurants, Jack Stein. Local chefs Alex Aitken from Harbour Hotels and James Golding from The Pig were also on stage, as well as nutritionist Barbara Cox.
Another highlight was the Cook-A-Fun session with chefs Simon Hallam from The Thomas Tripp and Colin Nash from The Three Tuns. They invited the Mayor of Christchurch, Cllr Frederick Neale and Father Richard from The Priory Church to come up on stage to help them prepare their dishes.
Saturday night saw a demonstration theatre when Lesley Waters and Dean Edwards got together to demonstrate some dishes, which were then prepared for the people attending the event by students from Bournemouth & Poole College.
Children had fun in the popular Kids Kitchen sessions held at The Priory School where they were able to try their hands at cooking a variety of dishes from Indian spicy lamb burger to mango and lime cheesecake. There were also sessions for parents and children to cook together with the help of local chefs.
Entertainment at Saxon Square and on the Quomps included performances from local theatre companies, local bands and a belly dance troop.
Vicki Hallam, Chairman of the Food Festival Committee, said: “Once again we were incredibly blessed with wonderful weather – it couldn’t have been better. The great atmosphere down on the Quomps really proved to us that we absolutely made the right decision to expand the festival onto two sites. Both the High Street and the festival village were crowded with people having a great time.
“The record crowds showed that the festival really does go from strength to strength every year. It can only happen with the help of all our sponsors and the volunteers who get involved in stewarding all through the weekend. I would like to thank every one of them for their tremendous efforts.”
Events in Christchurch’s restaurants, pubs and cafes continue until 21 May – all details are on the website www.christchurchfoodfest.co.uk.
The Highcliffe Revival Food Festival takes place on Saturday 21 May when Highcliffe’s main shopping area will be closed to traffic to accommodate food stalls. There will also be a programme of demonstrations – details at www.highcliffevillage.com/food-festival/.
Events in Christchurch’s restaurants, pubs and cafes continue until 21 May – all details are on the website www.christchurchfoodfest.co.uk.
The Highcliffe Revival Food Festival takes place on Saturday 21 May when Highcliffe’s main shopping area will be closed to traffic to accommodate food stalls. There will also be a programme of demonstrations – details at www.highcliffevillage.com/food-festival/.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TOM SCRASE
