Thousands of people attended the third Monmouthshire Food Festival when it returned to Caldicot Castle with a programme of demonstrations, talks, tutored tastings, children’s workshops and lots of food and drink.
Event organiser Charlotte Creig said: “We’ve been flat-out over the last week, but to hear that people have enjoyed it means everything.
“It’s very satisfying; some producers have been with us for all three festivals so far- we must be doing something right! I came to Caldicot Castle as a teenager, and I came back a few years ago and had this idea as I walked through the portcullis. It’s a wonderful venue. All of our demonstrations are from Monmouthshire. We also try and source as many of our suppliers from the county as we can, but because we’ve only been going for a couple of years it’s difficult. We’d love some more suppliers from Monmouthshire, it would be fantastic.”
Sam Manning (shows and events coordinator) and Mark Ganly (seasonal sales assistant) from Riverford photographed demonstrating some of the organic food they supply. Sam said: “It is a wonderful two day event at the amazing Monmouthshire Food Festival. It is great to meet an increasing number of people that care about healthy food and organic produce.”
Alex Culpin Managing Director of Ty Gwyn Cider Ltd was busy giving attendees a chance to sample the cider.
The Demonstration Theatre featured a number of the finest chefs from Monmouthshire’s hotels and restaurants. They used local fresh produce in their dishes wherever possible. The Producers Market had a wide range of products to try and buy. The Look and Learn Theatre hosted a wide range of talks, tutored tastings and demonstrations by a number of producers. The Children’s Quarter kept young foodies busy with lots of food related workshops.
St. Pierre Marriott sponsored the event. In the photograph is St. Pierre Marriott Food and Beverages supervisor Kyle Samuel and Sales and Marketing coordinator Jade Edwards. Jade said: “We are all very much looking forward to great food and drink this Christmas at the St. Pierre Marriott at Chepstow.”
Adrian Walker from Golden Valley Meat and Game demonstrated how to butcher a leg of venison and then how to butcher a half of a pig.
General Manager of Caldicot Castle, Mike Booth said: “We were delighted to host the Monmouthshire Food festival once again. A large number of people attended on both days, the atmosphere was good and the weather was fine. There was a nice mix of cooking demonstrations, family activities and trade stands displaying a wide variety of foods produced in Monmouthshire. It was a great opportunity for producers and the community to come together.”
Magic Mike’s Magic Knife demonstration enabled Mike to have a sharp time. Mike said: “We are having a very ‘knife’ time here at the Monmouthshire Food Festival with a little Slicing and Dicing.”
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