Bridport gets ready for the annual food festival (From Dorset Echo)

Bridport gets ready for the annual food festival

10:00am Monday 6th June 2011 in Features By Ruth Meech

BRIDPORT is set once again to become a food lovers’ haven for a full week when the annual Food Festival launches on June 12. Food lovers from the local area and beyond will visit the town to take part in a tempting range of delicious events for people of all ages. Organiser Amanda Streatfeild said: “I’m delighted by the involvement and enthusiasm shown by the local community for the Festival, and this year there’s certainly plenty of great events to enjoy.”

Food and drink fans can put their questions to an expert panel at Food & Drink Question Time on Friday, June 17. Specialists, including chef Mark Hix, grower Michael Michaud and Cleeves Palmer of Palmers Brewery will be welcomed to The Bull Hotel at 7pm to answer questions from the audience with a range of delicious local food and drink to enjoy afterwards. Whether your soufflé is falling or your garden crops are failing to grow, the panel will be able to help out. Tickets are just £5 (including food and drink) and available from Leakers Bakery and The Bull Hotel.

There’s plenty of food for thought on Wednesday, June 15 with a range of interesting talks and demonstrations including Everything Stops for Tea, an informative talk on the history of the afternoon tea with food historian Maya Pieris at West Bay’s Salt House at 2.30pm.

Chef Stephan Frigon will offer inspiration at his Cooking Local Produce with a Twist demonstration at the Olive Tree from 3pm and the award-winning Green Yard Café hosts The Answer Lies in the Soil at 7pm with a light supper and talk from Martin Biss, farm manager of the Magdalene Project. Meet and Eat hands-on cookery workshops for the over-50s are also taking place at the Centre for Local Food at St Michael’s Trading Estate on June 14 and 15.

You can also sample West Dorset’s great flavours at the Cheese, Cider and Speciality Bread Taste-Off on Bucky Doo Square, free, from noon on Thursday, June 16 or enjoy a sausage tasting at The Ropemakers from 6pm on Tuesday, June 14 followed by a free food quiz. For local wines from Furleigh Estate, Salway Ash and Portesham Vineyard join Mark Banham of Palmers Wine Store for Wine Tasting at Asker Meadows on Friday, June 17.

Foodie fun for kids can be found all week in Bridport Museum where they can unearth the culinary tools of the past on a free culinary trail.

In the Arts Centre Garden Café at the Biscuit Decorating Workshop on Thursday, June 16 children can get creative and win prizes with a range of icing, toppings and sprinkles from 3.30pm. Free cookery workshop places for 7-12 year olds are still available with Local Food Links on the Festival Feast Bus at the Main Event on Asker Meadows on June 18 alongside a host fun for all ages from face painting to fossil hunting throughout the day.

Launching the week, Open Farm Sunday on June 12 offers the chance to meet the farmers who grow our food and care for the countryside. It’s free to go behind the scenes at local farms including Denhay and Washingpool.

The main event takes place in Asker Meadows when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will appear in the Cookery Theatre alongside local chefs. Advance tickets at £2 are available from Bridport TIC. It is free for under-14s.

For further booking information visit www.bridportfoodfestival.com