This was a great event - lots of Suffolk food goodies on display, fantastic weather and plenty of displays and events to keep everyone entertined - a perfect combination. Look out for details of next years Festival coming soon

Aldeburgh Food Festival

Don't forget the Food and Drink Festival Fringe offers 75 different events during October - see
Aldeburgh Food and Drink Fringe Festival

2009
This is the fourth Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival and it is gearing up to be bigger and better than ever. During the main weekend event (26th & 27th September) at Snape Maltings there will be over 70 local producers showcasing their goods as well as offering glorious tastings of food, wine and beer. The Festival is open from 10am – 4pm each day.

There will be two stages, each having back to back schedules of cookery demonstration and talks with leading celebrity chefs and local food heroes.

Other key highlights include musical entertainment, river trips, guided RSPB walks and this year there will be an abundance of activities for children. What’s more, children are free and there is free parking! £5 admission for adults for the day, and you will receive a free jute bag with a festival programme. Tickets can be purchased on the day or in advance from the House & Garden shop at Snape Maltings, at Adnams’ Cellar and Kitchen stores in Woodbridge and Southwold.

Cool bags will be available to purchase. Regretfully, with the exception of guide dogs, no dogs will be permitted in the marquees.

Already it is nationally recognised that the Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival is one of the best in Britain and once again it is a celebration of the amazing abundance, variety and quality of food and drink produced in Suffolk.

Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, Suffolk

The Festival also has two important themes: education and buy local. The Festival is working with schools and East Feast, a Suffolk-based charity which, through gardeners, cooks and artists, involving teachers, children, their parents in growing and cooking their own food. Grow It! Cook It! Eat It!

The Festival would also like to highlight the importance of Buy Local and hopes to make a difference to the enjoyment of food, to people’s diets, to the viability of the local food economy and to the countryside as a whole.

The Festival intends to provide a bridge, not only by bringing shoppers and producers together but also through a programme of fringe events during the seven days after the main weekend. Please see Aldeburgh Food and Drink Fringe Festival 2009 . Bookings for certain fringe events can be made either at the weekend's festival or by calling the relevant event directly.

Highlights of fringe events include:
Artisan Bread-making workshop with Stuart Oetzmann of Metfield Bakery.
Nose-to-tail Eating: workshop with Fergus Henderson of St John Restaurant.
Organic Farm Walks at Peakhill Farm, Muck & Magic and Maple Farm.
Guided walks at RSPB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and other nature reserves in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
'The business of food' networking evening
How to save a village shop debate
Meet the producer events at farm shops and delis.
Food Safari events – ‘From Field to Fork’
Please see
Aldeburgh Food and Drink Fringe Festivalfor full details.

The main Festival has two stages with a schedule of cookery demonstration and discussion forums. Chefs and food writers include: Mark Hix owner of Hix Oyster and Chop House, London, Tom Aikens of Tom Aikens and Tom’s Kitchen, London, Fergus Henderson of St Johns, London, Marcus Verberne head chef of Brown’s Hotels, London, Thomasina Miers winner of Master Chef and owner of Wahaca, London, Matthew Fort and Tom Parker Bowles of ITV’s Market Kitchen, Rose Prince of the Daily Telegraph, Sheila Dillon Radio 4’s food presenter and a number of local food heroes.

A few highlighted stage events include:
Suffolk Raised Pie competition - trying to get Suffolk on the map for pies, the competition is open to all Suffolk producers who make and sell pies (not wholesale). The competition is to be judged on the Saturday afternoon by Matthew Fort and Tom Parker-Bowles.

Local schools initiative with the charity East Feast - The children of Orford School will be on stage with Mark Hix who will be taking the role of Sous Chef.

Cookery demonstrations - Many of the celebrity chefs will be choosing products from the stalls in the morning of the Festival to then concoct dreamy dishes with key Suffolk produce. Many of the producers will be asked to come up on stage to also talk about the facts of their goods. There will even be a butchery demonstration using one of the local Game producers.

COURTYARD STAGE
SPONSORED BY THE COOKING EXPERIENCE

SATURDAY 26th September

10:00am: Simon Cook, Smugglers Pudding Company

10.45am: Yoxford Primary School’s Cookery Club

11.30am:David Ryan & Justin Kett, Thorpeness and Aldeburgh Hotels

12.15pm: Suffolk County Council, The Greenest County - magic meals from leftovers

1:00pm: Paul Yaxley, Fox and Goose at Fressingfield

1.45pm: Yoxford Primary School’s Cookery Club

2.30pm: Jean Baptiste, D’ hotel Patisserie

3:15pm: Mark Miller-Burrage of Bluebell Woods Wild Venison

SUNDAY 27th September

10:00am: Oi Cheepchaiissara, “A Taste of Thailand”

10.45am: Anna Mosesson, Author of “Swedish Food and Cooking”

11.30am: Pat Neal and Stephen David, Thorpeness and Aldeburgh Hotels

12.15pm: Suffolk County Council, The Greenest County - magic meals from leftovers

1:00pm: Oi Cheepchaiissara “A Taste of Thailand”

1.45pm: Mark Miller-Burrage of Bluebell Woods Wild Venison

2.30pm: Franck Pontais, Traiteur and author of Terrines & Verrines

3:15pm: Simon Cook, Smugglers Pudding Company, Hadleigh

Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, Suffolk

THE MARQUEE STAGE
SPONSORED BY MARKS & SPENCER

SATURDAY 26th September

10:15am: Andy Gratton, Marks & Spencer lead demonstration chef

11:00am: Matthew Fort, Food and Drink Editor of The Guardian & Tom Parker-Bowles, both of ITV’s Market Kitchen

11:45am: Mark Hix formerly from The Ivy & now of Hix Oyster and Chop House with Marcus Verberne, Head Chef at Brown’s Hotel, Mayfair

12:30pm: Judging of Suffolk Raised Pie Competition

12:45pm: Tom Aikens of Tom Aikens, London

1:15pm: Sheila Dillon of BBC Radio 4 chairs discussion forum

2:15pm: Fergus Henderson of St. John, London

3:00pm: Robert Mace, Head Chef at The Crown, Southwold

SUNDAY 27th September

10:15am: Stuart Oetzmann of The Metfield Bakery

11:00am: Rose Prince, Food Writer from The Telegraph

11:45am: Orford School pupils with Mark Hix & Tom Parker-Bowles

12:15pm: Rory Whelan, Head Chef at The Swan, Southwold

12:30pm: Thomasina Miers, former winner of Masterchef, food author and TV presenter

1:15pm: Andy Gratton, Marks & Spencer lead demonstration chef

2:15pm: Rory Whelan, Head Chef at The Swan, Southwold

3:00pm: Mark David, chef proprietor of The Cooking Experience cookery school, Hadleigh and Food Festival compère

There will be a book signing session with visiting chefs following their demonstration.

There is a cash back facility in the House and Garden shop at Snape Maltings.

Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, Suffolk