By
Rob Jones
The Abergavenny Food Festival will be over the weekend of the 18th and 19th of September, 2021. It will be wonderful to get back to some proper fun and feasting on the Welsh Borders, albeit in a carefully managed environment to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all. Having experimented with virtual events by necessity last year, there is a decision to include some in the mix again this time round.
Abergavenny Food Festival enjoys an exceptional reputation as a place for chefs, food businesses, journalists, farmers and food producers to come together. The event is known for being an inclusive and welcoming event, delivering a delicious opportunity for people from all walks of life to explore and learn about food.
Through their outstanding programme of activities, including product tastings, kids’ activities, masterclasses, hands-on cookery lessons and topical debates, they provide the inside track on food issues, offer new ideas about the future of our food and showcase rising stars emerging from the industry.
The Festival prides itself on transforming the way people think about food; challenging and promoting new ideas, pushing the boundaries of current thinking and encouraging people to look differently at where their food comes from.
Over the years, the Festival has attracted top food heavyweights such as: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Monica Galetti, Jane Baxter, Jose Pizarro and Valentine Warner, to name but a few. By engaging with influential chefs, commentators and journalists both nationally and internationally, the festival has grown to become one the highest profile food events in Britain.
So, where did it all begin? Abergavenny Food Festival was created in 1999 by two local farmers in response to the BSE crisis and the resulting lack of consumer confidence in British produce. With the outbreak of Foot and Mouth in 2001, the difficulties worsened for farmers and pushed the Festival forward in terms of showcasing the wonderful food we have to offer locally and the passion of the people who produce it. And now, of course, there is the legacy of the Covid pandemic to add to the equation.
The team cherish their history and remain committed to offering a genuine market experience in the rural setting of our beautiful medieval market town.
Each year proceedings attract more than 30,000 visitors to a small, Welsh town, with the Festival generating an estimated £4 million impact for the local economy. The attractions are committed to supporting the local community, employing over 120 young people over the Festival weekend and support catering students to gain work experience in our kitchens.
For events and ticket details go to: https://www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com/
