Fill your bags with craft beer, cooking gadgets, Asian snacks and loads more
The centre of Bury St Edmunds has plenty for you to sink your teeth into over bank holiday (August 25 and 26) as the annual Food and Drink Festival returns.
Running from 10am each day, the free, family-friendly attraction sprawls through the town centre, offering a farmers' market on Angel Hill, the Stoves cookery theatre (with a line-up of celebrity and renowned local chefs), a beach (yes a beach) in Charter Square, mini farm on Abbeygate Street, and street entertainment - including the chance to meet Captain Jack Sparrow.
Mark Cordell, of the festival organising body, cannot wait to welcome visitors to the town, which has become notable in recent years for its food offering - be that award-winning restaurants, pubs and cafes, local producers or independent shops.
"Over the past few years Bury has become the Foodie Capital of Suffolk and the Our Bury St Edmunds Food and Drink Festival is a two day celebration of this," Mark says. "There will a wonderful array of top quality and varied food and drink traders, with an authentic farmers market and some fabulous hot food and drinks available in the Buttermarket and Cornhill. The Stoves display kitchen will be located outside Moyses Hall and there will be free cookery demonstrations form celebrity chefs Nick Nairn and Dean Edwards plus some of our fabulous local Independent restaurants. There's also lots for the family to do including visiting our seaside scene, with a beach, in the arc shopping centre. We provide plenty of seating for people to sit down and relax and enjoy the wonderful ambience of the event so a great time should be had by all!"
Traders over the weekend include
1 Kenton Hall
The McVeigh family have put a lot of love and time into running their farm in Mid-Suffolk, where over 460 acres they raise their Longhorn cattle the traditional way. The slow-maturing breed, which grazes out on the grass, has excellent marbling, and the meat is hung for four weeks, ensuring a succulent texture and premium flavour. They'll be at the festival selling their delectable burgers from their own street food trailer.
2 Under the Eagle
This Polish restaurant in Newmarket is becoming known for its welcoming atmosphere and interesting, authentic Polish cuisine, from grilled wild meat sausages, to pierogi and schnitzels. Try some of their goodies in Bury St Edmunds at the weekend.
3 Brewshed
Did you know, as well as supplying its own pubs, from The One Bull to the Cadogan Arms, the Brewshed crafts beer for Hotel Chocolat? You'll find it on shelves of the chocolate store all over the country. The Bury-based micro-brewery knows its stuff, and its regulars - Pale Ale, Best Bitter and American Blonde are all worth sampling…as well as any seasonal beers they bring to the festival.
4 Infusions4chefs
This family-run business based out at Rougham is becoming a bit of an empire. Not only do they stock and supply some of the most innovative cookware and tools, and most sought-after ingredients in the country, used by some of Britain and Europe's top chefs, but they have a cookery school, lunch bar and a cool café which opened in spring. Foodies will drool over the range of kit they have for sale, be that gastro paint and bubble kits, edible pearls, smokers, or hard-to-find produce, such as pistachio paste.
5 Heart of Suffolk Gin Distillery
Another family-run company, pot distilling London Dry gins in Mid-Suffolk. A unique blend of botanicals comes together for each of their three spirits, including the signature Betty's Gin, named for Karen's mother. Betty's is smooth with orange undertones. Rosie's Gin has a hint of florals, making it a stunner with a few summer berries. And cloves and cranberries are used in the process to make Ivy's Gin.
6 Lick Caribbean
Our Bury St Edmunds has pulled out all the stops this year to ensure the festival is as inclusive as possible for all visitors, so there's a bigger range of choice than ever before for vegans and vegetarians. On this stand you'll be blown away by the spicy and flavour they pack into dishes like organic spinach, potato and chickpea curry, and black bean stew with organic greens and Caribbean spices. Most of the ingredients are organic, and on the side you can choose a handmade roti made with flour from Fosters Mill in Cambridgeshire, Ethiopian injera (gluten-free) or Jamaican brown rice and red beans.
7 Cambridge Samosa Company
This business supplies Indian snacks and sundries all over the country from its East Anglian base - from chapattis and saag aloo to onion bhajis and pakoras. Everything is vegetarian. Your nose will follow the irresistible scent to the stand where you can stock up on their treats.
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