Cooking demonstrations, food stalls, street food, family entertainment and more will fill the streets of Bury this August bank holiday with the return of the Our Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival.
Spread across the market town, and completely free, the festival (August 28 and 29) celebrates Bury St Edmunds’ unofficial status as the foodie capital of Suffolk, and organisers say there’s something in store for everyone.
Central to the day is the Stoves Cookery Theatre on Cornhill, where chefs (many of them award-winning) from some of the area’s most popular restaurants will be out in force showing off their skills, complemented by talks and tips on everything from how to avoid food waste, to wine tasting advice and cocktail mixing.
Dozens of stalls will surround the theatre stage, selling food, drink, ingredients and kitchenware from across the globe – the Caribbean to Japan.
And a wander down to Angel takes visitors to the farmers’ market where they have the opportunity to meet producers and taste their wares, including locally-made gin and rum.
The festival is organised by the town’s BID (Business Improvement District). Chief executive Mark Cordell, who has long been a champion of Bury’s eating out scene, says: “This year we have worked with our partner organisation Bury St Edmunds and Beyond to showcase some of the best places for food and drink in or near the town. We’re delighted to be welcoming back to the theatre kitchen some regulars to the festival including Maison Bleue, 1921 and Casa who are always a great draw for the crowd, and new to the stage this year will be chefs from establishments such as Three Kings and Forage Kitchen in neighbouring villages.
“The Our Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival isn’t just about cooking demonstrations – our drinks scene has so much to offer too. The town is well known as the home of one of the biggest names in brewing and pubs, and this festival will introduce you to others from the world of real ales, craft beers, fine wines, cocktails and soft drinks and even regular visitors are likely to find something new.”
For families there will be a range of children’s activities in and around the town centre, including fairground rides and street entertainment across both days. Giant games and a circus skills workshop at arc shopping centre are just two of the free and fun ways to help work up an appetite. The festival’s chosen charity this year is East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Attractions run from 10am to 5pm.
The Stoves Cookery Theatre
Sunday
10-10.45am: Sarah Bullen of Still Good Food
11-11.45am: Zack Deakins of 1921
12-12.45pm: Stuart Ascott of West Suffolk College
1-1.45pm: Pascal Canevet of Maison Bleue
2-2.45pm: Tom and Ricky of Forage Kitchen
3-3.45pm: Greig Young of The Northgate
4-4.45pm: Lilian Hiw of Lilian’s Kitchen
Monday
11-11.45am: Maria Broadbent and Sally Bycroft of Casa and Rice is Nice
12-12.45pm: Maria Broadbent of Casa
1-1.45pm: John Jackaman of Ice
2pm: Jake Bennett-Day of Vino Gusto
3-3.45pm: Chris Lee of Three Kings
4-4.45pm: Maxima Baskerville of Baskervilles
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