Flavoursome festival returns to the North East

EAT! NewcastleGateshead returns this May with a tempting menu of events, offering some of the most unique and creative dining adventures in the UK. The annual festival – now in its second year - celebrates the best regional produce, food retailers and restaurants and promotes the pleasures of creating and sharing good food and drink.

Experiences to enjoy will include: dining suspended 50 metres high from a crane for the best ever views of the city; the opening of the first ever UK ‘paladares’ – the Cuban concept of restaurants in local people’s homes – all coming from different ethnic backgrounds; and a food adventure playground.

Simon Preston, Festival Director of EAT! NewcastleGateshead explains. “EAT! NewcastleGateshead celebrates food and all the ways it affects our lives, it focuses on local food producers, retailers and restaurateurs and encouraging people to have fun experimenting with the food ingredients that can be found right on their doorstep."

Commenting on new research into the nation’s cooking habits, commissioned to coincide with this year’s festival, Simon says, “As a nation we are extremely confident when it comes to food and cooking. A large percentage of the population, 27.5%, is happy to experiment in the kitchen and try out their own recipes and ingredients. From the research it appears that our mothers are still our biggest inspiration in the kitchen with 36% of people learning secret recipes from their mum. Something I've been finding is common to almost every nation when talking to our multi-cultural home chefs for 10 Secret Paladares.”

In 2009 EAT! events will help people to explore how food is central to, and enhances, our lives; from tips on thrifty dining and the way we ‘taste’ food with all our senses to the importance of food provenance and how the choices we make on our grocery shop impacts the environment.

EAT! NewcastleGateshead is part of NewcastleGateshead’s world-class festivals and events programme, created by culture10.

For more information on EAT! NewcastleGateshead visit NewcastleGateshead.com/EAT.