Abergavenny Food Festival has announced the first highlights from the 2019 festival programme and following on from last year’s 20th anniversary edition, the festival looks set to go from strength-to-strength.
Welcoming leading food aficionados from across the world to the Welsh market town of Abergavenny, expect a top-quality line-up of chef demos, cookery classes, drinks events, foraging tours, wild-cooking classes, debates and discussions.
In 2019 the festival will welcome Asma Khan – the first British chef to feature on Netflix’s cult Chef’s Table and Founder of Darjeeling Express, as she shares the story of her Life in Food with Telegraph food writer Xanthe Clay. The founding father of the modern fermentation movement, Sandor Katz, will be joining us from Tennessee, USA for ‘Beyond Sauerkraut’ a fermenting masterclass that will include the opportunity to troubleshoot your home-ferments. Katz will also join acclaimed food writer Bee Wilson, author of ‘The way we eat now’ for a discussion in the Borough Theatre exploring what the modern age means for our diets and health.
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Leading UK herb grower Jekka McVicar will be teaching festival-goers how to make more of herbs, Copenhagen’s Trine Hahnemann will be running a Scandinavian baking class, and Elly Curshen aka Elly Pear will be teaming up with friend and food-writer Rosie Birkett for a lesson in stress-free dinner party cooking.
On the ‘Cooking Over Fire’ stage Christian Stevenson (aka DJ BBQ), Sam and Shauna from Hangfire BBQ and Bristol chef, Freddy Bird will be firing up the grill at The Castle.
The festival’s popular Mutton Tasting masterclass returns with Cyrus Todiwala, joined by Nick Miller and Sarah Dickens of Black Welsh Lamb. Drinks writer Jack Bevan will be teaming up with leading producer Trealy Farm for a Charcuterie and Vermouth pairing masterclass, and visitors can discover Welsh beers and ciders with drinks writer Pete Brown.
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Don’t miss, multi-awarding winning author and chef, Anissa Helou, joined by Fozia Ismail – founder of Somali supper-club Arawelo Eats & one of Observer Food Monthly’s 2019 Top 50, for thoughts and stories on Foods of the Islamic World. The programme of discussions and debates in the Castle Dome includes: The rise of #MeToo in hospitality – problems and solutions, with Asma Khan, Trine Hahnemann, and Xanthe Clay; a look at our emotional relationship with food and the rise of eating disorders, plus the return of our food & farming rants.
Aine Morris, CEO of Abergavenny Food Festival says of this year’s festival:
“To have a programme that is such a reflection of the dynamic change and creativity we are seeing across UK food and farming is massively exciting. We are very pleased to be showcasing more women and more diversity at the food festival than ever before.
“If you love food in all its forms, then Abergavenny offers so much more than just the chance to fill your bellies. This year’s festival promises to be truly world class, delivering delicious experiences, whilst also dealing with the thorny issues facing the future of the industry.
“Abergavenny is fundamentally about food and introducing visitors to the people who dedicate their lives to making it. We aim to get you tasting new products, learning new skills, and shaking the hand that feeds you. In the face of great environmental and economic uncertainty our farmers, food producers and restaurants need the support of the British public more than ever, and food fest 2019 is the place to come if you want to understand why.”
Day and weekend wristbands are on sale now, along with initial event tickets.
Please check the abergavennyfoodfestival.com website for further details and to sign up to the festival newsletter to receive updates.
