One of the best foodie events in every hungry punter's calender is back and bursting with flavour this weekend. The Abergavenny Food Festival has confirmed it will still go ahead in the Monmouthshire market town on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 and there will be the chance for visitors to commemorate the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A portrait will be displayed within the grounds of Abergavenny’s castle over the festival weekend which will be decorated with flowers and visitors are invited to view this display and take a moment for quiet reflection. There will also be an opportunity to sign a book of condolence and light a candle at St Mary’s Priory Church.
Introducing what you can expect to experience at the festival itself, the festival says: "Fish 'n' chips or Tibetan dumplings? Gower Cottage Brownies or edible flowers? Seaweed rum or seeds for your garden? The Festival weekend is all about sensory extremes and subtle contrasts; an explosion of chilli, a long cold beer. Share amazing food with family and friends and celebrate our creative and spirited food community...."
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With some of the best of the culinary world showcasing their cooking skills, demonstrating recipes from their latest cookbooks (copies of which will be signed and available to purchase should you so wish on the day), you too will be able to test your own prowess in the kitchen - as well as your kids' skills in the festival's Cook Stars Kids Cookery School - and food knowledge in the festival's popular quiz.
Wander around the market stalls - while marvelling at the stunning artistic hanging decor by Bettina Reeves and her team - offering produce and freshly-prepared food before settling down in the castle grounds to re-energise. There's even music and educational sessions taking place in the likes of the 'Local & Vocal Tent' and 'Ogi Dome' in the Castle.
Day Stroller tickets, which gives you access to the chef and cooking over fire demonstrations, local and vocal tent and the talks and debates in the Ogi Dome across the weekend, cost just £12 for an adult while kids under 16 can get in for free.
If you wish to visit the 'Drinks Theatre', 'Meet the Author', 'Forages' or 'Party at the Castle' sessions, there is an extra cost Tickets are available to purchase here.
Festival opening times
The festival will be open for ticket holders from 9.30am on both days to 6pm on the Saturday and 5pm on the Sunday.
How to get there and parking
There are several ways to get to Abergavenny, although with it being a small town, the festival is encouraging ticketholders to use public transport or a carshare where possible.
With the bus station only a five-minute walk from the festival entrance, it's the perfect way to get there. By train, the station is also just a short walk from the festival and has regular train services.
If you intend to drive, use the postcode NP7 5HD for the town centre and park in Castle Meadows Festival Car Park. It has a capacity of 1,500 cars and is £4 a day. If full, here is a list of other car parks in the area.
The food festival is sitauted at Raglan Chambers, 63 Frogmore Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5AU
Which chefs will be making an appearance?
There are a whole host of big names in food making an appearance and doing what they do best at the festival this year: cook.
Here is a run down of who will be making some tasty grub across the weekend, where and the days and times they will be doing it.
Chef Demonstrations in the Market Hall
Saturday, September 17
10.30 – 11.10 AM
Great British Bake Off star Michelle Evans-Fecci will showcase recipes from her new book, The Seasonal Baker
11.30 – 12.10 PM
Red Sauce Brown Sauce author and expert How to Make the Perfect… Guardian food columnist Felicity Cloake will be offering breakfast tips.
12.30 – 1.10 PM
Chef Jeremy Pang, who started Europe's only award-winning Oriental and Asian cookery school, the School of Wok, introduces festival go-ers to the Wok Clock - a method at the heart of Jeremy’s teaching.
1.30 - 2.10 PM
Cardiff's very own Owen Morgan of Bar 44 will showcase some of the recipes and stories from his and his brother Tom's new cookbook Tapas y Copas. It comes 20 years after they opened of their first tapas bar in Cowbridge.
2.30 – 3.10 PM
Chef Anna Shepherd and the Lea-Wilsons - the family behind Halen Mon sea salt - will demonstrate recipes from their new book which dives into one of the most important pantry items: A Celebraton of Sea Salt
3.30 – 4.10 PM
Wahahca founder Thomasina Miers dives into some of the recipes of her new cookbook, Meat Free Mexican, which is a celebration of vegetable and plant-based living.
4.30 – 5.10 PM
BBC TV’s Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt is joined by chef and food writer Jane Baxter. Expect foodie talk and a feast.
Sunday, September 18
9.30 – 10.10 AM
Aspiring young local chefs take centre-stage in this year's Rotary Young Chef 2022 final cook-off.
10.30 – 11.10 AM
BBC Food Hero Kalpna Woolf, who is the founder of the charity 91 Days to Build a Global City and author of cookbook Eat, Share, Love. She, is showcasing one of her family’s recipes – a centuries old Moghul dish, Butter Chicken – and its vegetarian equivalent.
11.30 – 12.10 PM
Welsh chef Stephen Terry of The Hardwick in Abergavenny is taking to the stage to put Italian cuisine in the spotlight.
12.30 – 1.10 PM
The team behind one of Wales' top 10 restaurants Cora, Lee Skeet and Lily Griffiths, shows festival go-ers why their small but mighty 12-seater restaurant is worth the tasty trip.
1.30 - 2.10 PM
Masterchef: The Professionals star and 2020 ‘People’s Champion’ Santosh Shah serves up a delicious white fish curry - a recipe from his new book Ayla: A Feast of Nepali food from Terai, Hills and the Himalayas.
2.30 – 3.10 PM
He is hailed as the best vegetarian chef in the business by food extraordinaires like Nigella Lawson and now, foodies at the festival will get to taste the talent of rising culinary star Joe Woodhouse, whose fuss-free food from his first cookbook, Your Daily Veg : Modern, fuss-free vegetarian food, will feature.
3.30 – 4.10 PM
Award-winning BBQ kitchen Hang Fire, whose meteoric rise took Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn from a pub pop-up in Cardiff to their own restuarant Hang Fire Southern Kitchen. While the restaurant has since closed in Barry, it's evident that the dynamic duo are only going up. Pay them a visit to find out what their next chapter will be.
Cooking Over Fire in the Castle grounds
Saturday, September 17
11.00 – 11.40 AM
Food writer and Webber BBQ Ambassador, Melissa Thompson, cooks up a storm from her new book Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook. Alongside whipping up some delicious food, she will dive into the history, people and ingredients behind Jamaican cuisine.
12.00 – 12.40 PM
Sam and Shauna are on the Saturday as well as the Sunday featuring their low ’n’ slow American Southern-style cooking for two consecutive days - which just goes to show how popular these festival favourites are.
1.00 – 1.40 PM
Masterchef: The Professional's Santosh Shah is also a firm favourite. On the Saturday, however, he'll be showcasing a charred spiced jackfruit recipe.
2.00 – 2.40 PM
Owain Hill, of renowned and award-winning burger joint Hills Brecon, takes to the stage to discuss what makes the perfect burger and his lockdown-written book, Straight Outta Cymru.
3.00 – 3.40 PM
Michelin star chef Freddy Bird's first and family-owned independent restaurant, Little French, specialises in big flavours and modern European cooking. Here, you'll have a taste at what he cooks up in his kitchen.
Sunday, September 18
11.00 – 11.40 AM
He has recently been on ITV with his new series, Jeremy Pang's Asian Kitchen. Now, chef, cookbook author and cookery School of Wok teacher will be reprising his Vietnamese pork dish that featured on the show.
12.00 – 12.40 PM
Bold flames, local energy and hot ingredients are what North Walian Chris Roberts swears by, according to his 'Flamebaster' website. With fire-cooking and an Asado barbecue style of food - Chris' burning passion - quite literally - for flame-cooked feasts led him to land his own TV series, Bwyd Epod Chris (Chris' Epic Food). Listen to stories of gauchos from his Patagonian Dad and discover what Asado barbecue is.
1.00 – 1.40 PM
More barbecued meat is on the cards as you will be treated to Genevieve Taylor, a live fire cook and author, whose recipes from her new book Seared, The Ultimate Guide to Barbecuing Meat, will feature alongside plenty of talk about the physics of fire.
2.00 – 2.40 PM
You've probably seen him on BBC's Saturday Kitchen, heard him on The Food Proramm or have possibly visited his London establishment - at which he is chef proprietor - Café Spice Namasté. In Abergavenny, however, Indian chef Cyrus Todiwala turns his focus to seafood.
3.00 – 3.40 PM
Owen Morgan of the Welsh Bar 44 group is back. But this time, he is channelling the style of cooking of Spanish tapas bar Bar 44's sister restaurant Asador 44, where he'll he serving up meat and fish over charcoal in an open kitchen.
The Markets
With over 150 traders and exhibitors making their mark at this year's event, there are plenty of markets to visit to get your foodie fix. Here, we have rounded up the food stall and caterers on offer and where you can find them. (Though this list is subject to change, of course.)
Market Hall
Here you'll find all the hot live cooking demonstrations from the likes of Welsh tapas aficianado Owen Morgan and Halen Môn, as well as smoked fish, Wales' oldest Caerphilly cheese, craft gin, preserves, cured meats, seeds and more.
Anglesey Sea Salt/Halen Môn
Bettina Reeves
Bird Kitchen Clothing
Black Mountains Smokery
Book-ish
Canadian Produce
Caws Teifi Cheese
Coedcanlas
Cradoc's Savoury Biscuits
Dà Mhìle
Franchi Seeds of Italy
Fwdge
Gower Cottage Brownies
Hay/Little Knapp Distillery
Hodmedods
La Creme Patisserie
Maple from Canada
Mayhawk
Patchwork Pâté
Preservation Society
Sapling Spirits
The Olive Press
Trealy Farm
Tudor Brewery
Willys ACV
Wye Valley Meadery
Upper Brewery Yard
Bakers Pig
Breckland Orchard
Brecon Chocolates
British Cassis
Burren Balsamics
Chock Shop
Crwst
Flint & Flame
Freda's Peanut Butter
Frome Valley Vineyard
Gillows Cider
Hobbs House Bakery
Langtons Farm
Mr Todiwala's Pickles
Nutty But Nice
Refillable Water Bar
The Blaenafon Cheese Co
The Crafty Pickle
The Garlic Farm
The Parsnipship
The Tomato Stall
Tracklements
Veggie Confetti
Welsh Coffee Roasters
Welsh Connection
Wye Valley Brewery
Lower Brewery Yard
Ah-ma's Dumplings
Babhaus BBQ
Bar 44 Tapas
Bordeaux Wines
Doughnutterie
Grey Trees Brewery
Hogi Hogi Hogi
Hybu Cig Cymru
Isabel's Bakehouse
Lola's Fish & Chips
MacMan
Makasih
Momo Bar
Nixon Farms Pen-Min-Cae Welsh Black Beef, Pork and Lamb
Oasis Cardiff
Puckin Poutine
Raclette Raclette
Rowlestone Ice Cream
Sibling Distillery
Sims Foods
South Caernarfon Creameries (Dragon)
Spenglers Deli
Stedman's Airstream
The Fritter Shack
The Queen Pepiada
The Spanish Buffet
Tokyo Nights
Two Dogs Roasting Co
Two Farmers
Winkle Picker
Tiverton
Barti Ddu
Bee Welsh Honey
Bo Tree Seasonings
Cafe Cannoli
Chantler Teas
Clams Cakes
Cottage Sweets
Flapjackery
Flowerhorn Brewery
GingerBeards Preserves
Harth Chocolate
Kitchen Flowers
Monnow Valley Cider
Nonya’s Secrets Dine in Sauces
Nutcessity Nut Butters
Old Coach House Distillery
Origin Coffee
Panski
Pembrokeshire Chilli Farm
Popty Cara
Rupert Blaimrie
SA Sauces
Silver Circle Distillery
Sizzlers Prime Meats (previously Gourmet Meat Centre)
Sorai
The Cosy Chocolate Co
The Pudding Shop
The Sunday Girl
TruBel
Tiverton Cheese & Wine
Caws Cenarth
Charcuterie - Hereford
Chilli Rogues
Coal Town Coffee
Cwm Deri Vineyard
Good for you Ferments
Jumi Cheese
Market Bakery
Ogi
The Bath Soft Cheese Company
Tiny Rebel
Two Belly
Two Fields Zakros Olive Oil
Whey More
White Lake Soft Cheese
The Priory Courtyard
Apple County Cider
Bordeaux Wines
Little Goat Brewery
Mighty Soft Shell Crab
Oyster Meister
Shroders
The Crepe Escape
Tipsy Fruit Gins
Weymouth Seafood
The Priory Souk New & Small Producers Market
Black Mountains CBD Oil
Deez Doughnuts
Derw Coffee
Dough & Daughters
Fiercely Fine
Garlic Meadow Farm
Llangattock Apiaries
Marches Mushrooms
Monmouth Shepherd
RSPB Cymru
Shroot
Spirit of Wales
The Very Happy Belly Co
The Welsh Saucery
Two Sticks Forge
The Castle
Belazu
Bordeaux Wines
Café Spice Namasté
Cotto/Cooking Cooks
Dà Mhìle Gin Bar
Dugan's Patisserie
Fire Pits UK
FR Ball
Gower Coffee
Murray May's
Netherton Foundry
Origin Pizza
Pomme Pomme Foods
Riverford Organic Farmers
Shepherds Ice Cream Bike
Skyborry Cider & Perry
Stedmans Bar
The Bearded Taco
The Beefy Boys
For more information on all the sessions and stalls available, visit the Abergavenny Food Festival website.
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