The best food festivals
Alnwick Food Festival
A picturesque market town in wild Northumbria (recently voted the best place to live in Britain) attracts hundreds of people eager to sample local produce. 20-21 September
Flavour of Shetland
Every June, thousands gather at Victoria Pier in Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands, to celebrate and indulge in local fare – fantastic fresh fish as well as butter, cheeses, lamb and beer. There are also crafts and culture exhibitions and live music. flavourofshetland.com
Food Lovers Fairs
Organised by food campaigner Henrietta Green as part of the BBC Good Food Shows, the fairs feature cookery demonstrations, tastings and gourmet foods and are held at different locations throughout the year. foodloversbritain.com , bbcgoodfoodshow.com
Great British Cheese Festival
Hundreds of exhibitors gather at Cardiff Castle to celebrate Britain’s revived artisan cheese-making industry during 27-28 September. thecheeseweb.com
Hampshire Food Festival
More than 100 events around the county during July to celebrate the best local food and drink. Expect farm, brewery and vineyard tours, cookery demonstrations and workshops as well as special menus in restaurants. hampshirefare.co.uk
Triggin’ Day, Helford
Good Friday at the Helford River on the Lizard in Cornwall sees locals and visitors scour the river beds at low tide for shellfish – mussels, cockles, winkles, clams and even the odd oyster, which they cook on creekside barbecues.
Source it, buy it
Farmers’ markets, now found in almost every town, are full of freshly grown local produce. Find inspected and certified markets listed at farmersmarket.net. Stroud farmers’ market , in Gloucestershire ( madeinstroud.org ) has been voted the best in the country.
The amazing Daylesford Organic Farmshop ( daylesfordorganic.com ), near Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds, has organic goodies from Britain and all over the world; they now have their own café and bakery, plus branches at Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and in Pimlico, London.
Other farm shops, such as the Gog Magog Hills Farm Shop (+44 (0)1223 248 352, gogmagoghills.com ) in Shelford Bottom, Cambridgeshire, are booming. Find yours at farmshopping.net.
Pick your own fruit and veg at farms such as Brockbushes Fruit Farm (+44 (0)1434 633 100, brocksbushes.co.uk ) in Northumberland. Visit pickyourown.info for your local farm.
Find fresh seafood at traditional fish shops such as Springs, in Edburton, Henfield, West Sussex, which specialises in smoked fish; Steve Hatt in Essex Road, Islington, London (+44(0)20 7226 3963); and the Quayside Fish Shop , Fore Street, Porthleven, Cornwall (+44 (0)1326 562 008, quaysidefish.co.uk ).
Check out the many Greek, Kurdish and Turkish shops dotted around north London, in areas such as Caledonian Road (try the Yasar Food Market ), Dalston, or Green Lanes, for sensational fruit and vegetables and a vast choice of olives, olive oils, feta cheese and herbs. While you’re in Green Lanes, buy your meat at Baldwins (+44 (0)20 8340 5934, baldwinsfoods.com ), where you can find anything from wild rabbit to a pound of lamb’s tongue.
Pick up excellent bread from bakeries such as Fergus Henderson’s St John Bread and Wine on Commercial Street in London’s Spitalfields (+44 (0)20 7251 0848, stjohnbreadandwine.com ), or the organic Judges Bakery (+44 (0)1424 722 588, judgesbakery.com ) in High Street, Hastings. Owned by the people behind Green & Black’s chocolate, they sell both traditional British and artisan breads.
And don’t forget the thriving ‘foodie’ markets. Two of the best are Borough Market ( boroughmarket.org.uk ) in Southwark, London, and Spitalfields Market ( spitalfields.co.uk ) in east London. Both have formed gastrohubs with lots of interesting places to eat and drink opening on their fringes. Broadway Market in Hackney is also worth visiting for its range of restaurants, delis and the Saturday farmers’ market.
The newly opened John Lewis Food Hall (+44 (0)20 7629 7711, johnlewis.com ) in Oxford Street, London, which has linked up with sister chain Waitrose (the foodie’s favourite high-street supermarket), rivals the existing great London food halls at Selfridges, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason. Special features include a walk-in cheese room and handmade chocolates from William Curley, voted Britain’s Best Chocolatier 2008.
Discover quality wine at English vineyards such as Ridgeview Wine Estate on the South Downs in East Sussex (+44 (0)845 345 7292, ridgeview.co.uk ), where the chalky soils and climate mimic the Champagne region, and where they are now winning awards ahead of their French rivals. And you can taste before you buy. See english-wine.com for a list of English vineyards.
