Taste sensation at Cornwall Food & Drink Festival 2012
The ninth Cornwall Food & Drink Festival will be returning to Truro on 28-30 September 2012 with a jam-packed timetable celebrating the cream of Cornish produce.
For food-lovers everywhere the festival promises a real taste of Cornwall: watch top chefs demonstrate succulent seafood and Cornish game; bite into a freshly baked pasty; savour the hoppy taste of a proper ale or treat yourself to a golden scone oozing with clotted cream and locally-made strawberry jam. The festival is destined to tantalise your tastebuds.
Ruth Huxley, director of Cornwall Food & Drink said: “Cornwall’s culinary repertoire boasts award-winning producers and world-class chefs, and the festival is very much about showcasing this.
“We have some new and exciting plans for this year including a series of exclusive one-off events for real food-lovers and a special festival menu celebrating Cornish ingredients. The fixed price menu will be running throughout the festival fortnight at selected restaurants across the county and will allow everyone the chance to get a real taste of Cornwall.”
Cornwall’s reputation for fantastic food has grown exponentially and it is now recognised as the number one food destination outside London. The Cornwall Food & Drink Festival has cemented itself as a must-visit entry on the nation’s foodie calendar, attracting in excess of 43,000 visitors in 2011.
In the Chefs’ Theatre, culinary stars will be demonstrating their talents and using Cornwall’s finest produce to cook up mouth-watering dishes. This year the theatre is sponsored by Good Energy and, embracing the eco-theme, chef Arthur Potts Dawson will be demonstrating low carbon cooking as well as some of his favourite recipes.
Two-starred Michelin chef Nathan Outlaw is the headline act and will be sharing his tips on how to create stunning dishes with the fresh seafood that is landed on Cornwall’s shores every day.
Located in the heart of Truro city centre on Lemon Quay, the festival marquee will be full of produce from across the county for visitors to taste and take home.
Cornwall Food & Drink Festival hasn’t forgotten about the kids either. There is plenty to keep children happy in their Funky Food Zone which is crammed with amazing food facts, quirky hands-on activities and all-out food fun.
Alan Goddard, managing director of Cornish Mutual, the South West rural insurer who is key sponsor of this year’s event, said: “The food and drink sector is big business – it is worth £1.4 billion to Cornwall’s economy and accounts for almost 30 per cent of employment, so you can see how vital it is for us to support and celebrate the industry.
“We’re really passionate about good quality, local food and drink and we’re frequently at livestock markets and agriculture shows throughout the South West seeing the great work being done. Many of our own members in Cornwall are food and drink producers, we work with them every day and understand their business, so there was no question about us supporting the Cornwall Food & Drink Festival – it is absolutely the right thing for us to do.”
Visitors will be able to relax and soak up the atmosphere in the Croust Bar; where they can sample local ales from St Austell Brewery; freshly made pasties from Simply Cornish and a whole host of other delicious locally produced treats, all whilst watching the masterclasses, demonstrations and talks on the Cornwall Food & Drink stage.
More information and festival updates can be found at cornwallfoodanddrink.co.uk.
