Foodies Festival returns to The Downs next weekend (13th – 15th May) with a jam-packed line-up of culinary features, celebrity chefs, the British Street Food Awards and lots of foodie fun.
British Street Food Awards
Across the three-day festival, visitors can feast on signature dishes served from street food vendors and vote for their favourite to win the People’s Choice Award. A panel of experts will also judge the competing vendors for other categories including Best Main, Best Sandwich, Lifetime Achievement Award and Best Vegetarian Dish, with all the regional winners being announced late Sunday afternoon.
Cook – Aga Rangemaster Chefs’ Theatre
This year’s festival sees a 5 star line-up in the Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre, where top chefs showcase their culinary skills, share insight into 2016’s food trends and answer questions from the audience. Chefs taking part include Rosemary Schrager, Josh Eggleton, Simon Hulstone, Ping Coombes, Romy Gill, Jackie Kearney and more.
There’s a new ‘Feel Good Foods’ theme at the Festival this year, with healthy living chefs and food writers joining the line-up to cook with a wide variety of different superfoods.
Sip – Drinks Theatre
Mixologists and sommeliers, including Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe, will host champagne and wine masterclasses, and beer connoisseur and writer Melissa Cole will be holding craft beer tutorials.
Visitors can test their taste buds with blindfolded challenges, tasting and smelling to try and identify ingredients and country of origin.
Feast – Street Food Avenue
There will be a huge variety of cuisines on offer: Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Argentinian, Turkish, Indian, Korean, Mexican, French and African are just some of the flavours to feast on this summer, and celebrity chef Aldo Zilli will be serving Italian burritos as part of his new street food offering.
There’s a special focus on Brazilian street food this year to celebrate the Olympic host’s cuisine, including traditional Brazilian BBQ and Rio’s favourite dish Feijoada, made from black beans, salted pork, trimmings, smoked sausage and jerk beef, which is cooked in a traditional clay pot. Brazil’s national cocktail Caipirinha, a mix of lime, sugar and Cachaça (made from sugarcane juice with an ABV of 48%), and Brazilian coffees will be available.
Shop – Artisan Producers Market
Shop and sample from an array of Great Taste Award winners – a fantastic opportunity for visitors to meet artisan producers from the local area and across the country, learn their story and stock up on award-winning produce. Expect over 120 stalls, selling everything from Seaweed Seasoning to Champagne Infused Fudge.
Indulge – Cake, Bake & Tasting Theatre and Vintage Tea Room
Baking extraordinaire Charlotte White, master chocolatier Fiona Sciolti and top local cake makers will be showcasing their magic on the Cake & Bake stage, while a neighbouring Chocolate, Cake and Bake Village will sell freshly baked breads, sponges, tarts, jellies and trifles to enjoy with a bubble tea or fresh juice.
Afternoon tea will be served in the Vintage Tea Room, where teas, handmade cakes and scones with clotted cream and jam are served on china from a tea trolley by vintage-styled tea ladies and gentlemen.
Crunch – Into the Jungle
Festival-goers can munch their way into the depths of the jungle this summer with a trip to the Vietnamese Street Food stand, where those with a taste for the exotic can indulge in insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, mealworms, beetles, scorpions, locusts and ants. These bugs will also be sold in powder and flour form – a high source of protein – to bake, season and cook with. There’s also a daily Bush Tucker Trial on the Challenge Stage, where visitors compete against one another by eating jungle insects, from small ants to large juicy grubs, with the contestant eating the biggest and the most being crowned champion.
Explore – Children’s Cookery School
The Olympic theme continues into the Children’s Cookery School, where little foodies can decorate their very own gold medal with coloured icing, glitter and edible ribbon. Pizza and cupcake making classes also allow kids to explore their taste buds and learn basic cookery skills to practice at home.
Spice It Up – Chilli-Eating Challenge
The famous Chilli-Eating Challenge continues in 2016, inviting fans of spice to beat an eye-watering 16 million scoville record set by Shahina Waseem last year. Participants start at the low end of the chilli spectrum by eating bell peppers, but things quickly get a lot hotter with Habanero, Scotch and Carolina Reaper chillies being added to the menu. Those still standing are then inflicted to pure chilli extract, increasing in strength, until a winner is crowned.
Relax – Live Music and Pop-Up Bars
After a day of feasting and fun, visitors can relax and soak in the atmosphere with live music from award-winning local bands at the Unsigned Music Awards Stage and a glass of bubbly or refreshing cocktail from the Giant Pimm’s Teapot or double-decker BarBus.