FOOD-STUFF
Feeling hungry and seeking sustenance? Looking to quench your thirst? Whatever your belly desires this August, satisfy your appetite and find fantastic food festivals, beer festivals, ice cream and more with our latest guide to food-stuff in Surrey, Berkshire and beyond…
Godalming Thai Food and Crafts Festival 2019 / Saturday 10th – Sunday 11th August / Bury’s Field, Godalming
Enjoy the sounds, sights and flavours of Thailand as the Thai Food and Craft Festival returns on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th August at Bury’s Field in Godalming. The festival will feature authentic Thai cuisine from a variety of food stalls, arts & crafts, Thai massage, contemporary and traditional Thai music, a special appearance by The Blue Beatles duo, Thai dancing, the Ladyboy Diva show and a Thai costume show. There will also be a funfair for the children, British snacks, and a bar serving Thai Chang Beer and Monsoon Valley Wine.
For more information visit www.thaifestivaluk.co.uk
Fire & Spice: Indian-inspired Cookery with the Salt Box / Sunday 11th August / 3pm – 7pm / Sandy Lane, Nutfield, Surrey
How about adding a little fire and smoke to your home made Indian-inspired feasts with the help of al frescosupper club masters, the Salt Box? Learn how to create irresistible plates of food, seasoned with fire and spice, on this half day course where you’ll be cooking up Indian-inspired dishes with a twist, in a relaxed and informative atmosphere, surrounded by the crackle and pop of fire.
For more information visit www.wearethesaltbox.co.uk
Make Your Own Ice Cream Course / Sunday 11th August / The Avenue Cookery School, Wandsworth
If you’re anything like us, you like to burn through ice cream during the summer months. With so many flavours on the market, it’s hard not to want to cool off while turning on our tastebuds. But have you ever considered learning to make your own? Not only could you save money on your favourite chilled treat, but you can let your imagination fly and conjure any kind of flavour your heart desires. This day course from the fabulous Avenue Cookery School will teach you an array of different churn and no-churn ice creams that would even blow the minds of Ben and Jerry!
For more information visit www.theavenuecookeryschool.com
Test Kitchen at Windsor and Eton Brewery / 16th, 23rd and 30th August / Duke Street, Windsor
The Test Kitchen is based at Windsor and Eton Brewery on the last 3 Fridays of every month, serving up the finest in fusion street food. Their meat is supplied by the royal farms, their veg is locally grown wherever possible, and their exciting dishes are cooked to order every time. Swing by and grab a take-out or make an evening of it in the brewery’s fabulous WeBrew bar!
For more information visit www.test-kitchen.co.uk
Wine Lunch: Artisan White Wines from Campania, Southern Italy / Saturday 17th August / 12-2pm / Petersham Nurseries, Richmond
An interactive tasting of different Italian wines, hosted by Petersham Cellar, perfectly paired with a menu created by Ambra Papa, Head Chef at Petersham Nurseries. Discover top wines from this southern Italian wine region and its remarkable indigenous grape varieties. This unique event offers the opportunity to appreciate a wide range of versatile white wines from the region, and there will also be a special discount on wine orders placed the day of the event.
For more information visit www.petershamnurseries.com
Silent Pool Distillers Overnight Stay and Tour at Wotton House / Saturday 24th August / Wotton House, Dorking
If a crisp, aromatic, sparkling G & T is one of the perfect ways to unwind, then the luxurious environment of a 17th-century period hotel in the Surrey Hills must surely be one of the perfect places to do so. Thanks to a unique collaboration between master distillers Silent Pool and Wotton House, that’s exactly what you’ll get when you book this overnight stay at the stunning hotel. You’ll enjoy a tour and tasting at the distillery, a £5 voucher to spend there, a classic English Afternoon Tea and Wotton House’s 13-acres of land to explore with. Tickets from £249.
Call 01483 229136 for more information or visit www.silentpooldistillers.com
Hampton Court Food Festival / 24th – 26th August / 10am – 6pm / Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey
Henry VIII’s sprawling palace will be the venue for a bank holiday bursting with delicious food and fabulous entertainment. Explore the palace grounds – and its famous maze – while grazing on tantalizing street food and drinking and dining at a host of pop-up bars and food stands. Try your hand at Tudor cookery or a bevy of other hands-on masterclasses, or simply shop among dozens of artisan food producers, while live music plays on. See live demonstrations from some of the brightest stars of UK cookery including Chef Michel Roux Jr, Masterchef superstar Nadiyah Hussein, and presenter of BBC1’s hugely successful series Eat Well For Less, Chris Bavin.
For more information visit www.hrpfoodfestivals.com
Wimbledon Park Food and Drink Festival / 24th-26th August / Wimbledon Park
Back for its 6th year, Wimbledon Park will once again be bursting with over 45 stalls offering a wide range of food and drink, including artisan bread and pastries, cheeses and charcuterie, and hot food from all corners of the world. The Festival Kitchen will have a full programme of renowned chefs and food experts giving cookery demonstrations, talks and tastings. With plenty of fun kids’ activities and a live DJ and beers, ales, cider, gin and prosecco for the adults there really is something for everyone!
Find out more at www.fantasticbritishfoodfestivals.com
Windsor & Eton Beer Festival 2019 / Friday 30th – 31st August / 5pm – 9pm Saturday / Windsor & Eton Brewery, Windsor
This year, the Windsor and Eton Brewery are pulling out all the stops to ensure that every guest gets the chance to experiment and indulge in some of the finest produce that the brewing world has to offer. Expect over 30 beers and guest ciders from breweries far and wide, and a souvenir tasting glass and access to the Brewhouse for your allotted session time. With two days of local food, live music and a whole jukebox selection of craft beers, this could be the best W&E Beer Festival yet!
Find out more at www.webrew.co.uk
Sparkling Vineyard Tour and Vineyard Afternoon Tea Hamper / Throughout August / Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking
Celebrate the height of British summertime amongst the vines if Denbies wine estate, one of the most celebrated vineyards in the UK. You’ll enjoy a glass of Denbies Sparkling Cuvée as you are taken through the panoramic vineyard to the highest viewpoint on this informative tour, followed by that quintessential English treat, an afternoon tea hamper on the lawn.
Find out more at www.denbies.co.uk
Introduction to Wine Course and Lunch / Saturdays / 11am – 4pm / Thames Valley Wine School, Sir Christopher Wren Hotel and Spa, WindsoR
Love wine but feel as if your lack of knowledge holds you back? The Thames Valley Wine School’s brilliant Introduction to Wine day course is just the thing to fill in those gaps and reveal world of wine in its full glory. The course covers all the need-to-knows including grape varieties, climate, food and wine matching, how wine is made, the use of oak and much more. The full day wine experience is hosted at the Sir Christopher Wren Hotel and Spa in Windsor, and includes an aperitif on arrival and a delicious 2-course lunch.
Find out more at www.thamesvalleywineschool.com
Bateaux Windsor – Afternoon Tea Cruise / Throughout August
Take it easy in style with a leisurely float down the Thames, with fantastic river views of historic Windsor, while enjoying that quintessentially English repast, Afternoon Tea. This 1 hour 15-minute cruise offers scones, pastries and a selection of sandwiches, as well as an assortment of teas as you glide past various famous Windsor sights. You’ll feel like royalty! The cruise sails on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Bank Holidays.
For more information visit www.bateauxlondon.com/windsor
Woking Food and Drink Festival 2019 / Friday 30th August – Sunday 1st September / Jubilee Square, Woking
In its seventh year, the award-winning Woking Food and Drink Festival has become Surrey’s biggest free-to-attend foodfest, and 2019 promises another smorgasbord of culinary delights to dazzle appetites and tastebuds. Centered in Jubilee Square, but spilling out all over Woking town centre, the event will play host to some of the finest cooking talent and food and drink producers in the UK, with more than 80 food and drink traders, and 20 live cookery demonstrations in the Woking Shopping Demo Theatre.
The festival will see the welcome return of Sabrina Ghayour – the ‘golden girl of Persian cookery’, as well as other famous faces include Surrey based Chris Bavin, co-presenter on BBC’s Eat Well For Less, and Martha Collinson, Great British Bake-Off quarter-finalist, Waitrose food columnist and cookbook author. Surrey’s own celebrated chefs will also make an appearance, including Michelin masters Steve Drake, chef patronof Sorrel in Dorking, and Tony Parkin, head chef for the Tudor Room at Great Fosters in Egham.
Add some extra flavour to your visit by booking a place on one of the wine masterclasses and tastings, or unique pop-up dining experiences hosted at several independent venues around the town. Save some extra room for the free bite-size talks hosted by Surrey Life magazine and Hersha Patel, chef and vlogger, where a panel of local producers and experts will share their specialist knowledge on a range of subjects, including English wine, brewing, gin distilling, beekeeping, butchery, spices, veganism and more!
With loads of entertainment for all the family, including tasty kids’ cookery activities and live music, there’s really no excuse to miss one of the most tantalizing events of the summer.
Find out more at www.wokingfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk
Ascot Festival of Food and Wine / Friday 6th September / Gates open 11am / Ascot Racecourse
The opening race day of this two-day Italian Tourist Board Festival of Food and Wine Weekend is a real feast for the senses. Fantastic racing meets a host of culinary attractions including stallholders, samplings, and appearances from star chefs. Friday’s race card includes seven competitive Flat races, with the Weatherby’s Handicap Stakes among the highlights on the track. The Gastronomes Theatre will offer talks and demonstrations from celebrity chefs and culinary experts, while racegoers will be able to sample and purchase food and wines from more than 40 stalls.
Find out more at www.ascot.co.uk
Looking for more things to do? Check out more guides to going out