Tasty treats at Leamington Spa Food & Drink Festival

Next month sees the return of the highly successful and popular ‘Royal Leamington Spa Food & Drink Festival’ organised by BID Leamington. The festival, which is free to attend, will take place on Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 August from 10am – 6pm at the Royal Pump Room Gardens.

With an even bigger and more exciting programme of culinary events, the 2009 festival is set to be an even bigger success than last year, which attracted over 10,000 people.

As part of the programme of events, visitors can take part in the extremely popular ‘Taste Trail’. Featuring 13 different and diverse restaurants including Mem Saab, The Clarendon, Sabai Sabai, The Slug and Lettuce, Strada, Bohemia @ The Willoughby, Kokos, Mumbai Bluu, Seasons Restaurant, The Newbold Bar & Brasserie, Ask, Restaurant in the Park and Tryst, the 'Taste Trail' will encourage people to visit, sample their specialty dishes for free and then rate each restaurant.

Those that take part will be entered into a prize draw to win a meal for two at the winning restaurant. Last year, thousands of people took part with all participating restaurants reporting record visitor numbers.

In addition visitors can enjoy an International Food Market, Warwickshire Farmers Market and live cookery demonstrations in the open air kitchen by local Chefs including Laura Hamilton from Queans Restaurant. Visitors will also have the opportunity of watching Leamington Rock being made from a mobile sugar theatre by the Sweet Theatre company.

Visitors can also enjoy cake baking, whisky tasting, competitions and the chance to sample a wide selection of delicious world-wide dishes. Exhibitors include a range of High Street and independent names including The Shakespeare Spit Roast Company, Little Miss Cupcakes, Merchants of Warwick, Country Bumpkins, Starbucks Coffee Company, Walnut & Weave, Sarah Edwards Cakes, Green Bean Mobile Coffee Company, Bread & Co, Hidden Eden and Blueberry Hill Patisserie.

Live music will be provided in the Pump Room Gardens by the extremely popular band ‘Lament’. Fronted by Kath Kimber, the five piece band brings together a fusion of Latin, jazz and flamenco. Having spent the last year touring to promote their album, the band is currently embarking on a tour of Art Centres and festivals. A funfair will also be provided for children’s entertainment.

Helen Smith, Executive Director of BID Leamington, stated “With so many exciting events and activities happening over the two days, our 2009 festival is expected to surpass last year’s visitor numbers. Not only does the festival present a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to showcase their culinary skills, but they also benefit from promoting their products to a much wider audience”.

Further information about the festival can be found by visiting leamingtonfoodfestival.co.uk.