This year’s Broadstairs Food Festival is heating up with a full programme of award-winning exhibitors and a vibrant festival theatre schedule.
The annual event takes place from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 September, 10am – 6pm, on Broadstairs’ Victoria Gardens. Entrance is free.
The three-day ‘feastival’ highlights Kent’s rich heritage of great food and drink, featuring carefully chosen and sustainability-focused growers and producers. Food and drink lovers can explore a broad range of some 100 exhibitors, stock up on ingredients and take inspiration from industry experts.
The 2024 Festival Theatre is bigger than ever. Visitors can enjoy free demonstrations from two of the county’s celebrated chefs making much welcomed return visits: Michelin starred chef Stephen Harris from The Sportsman in Seasalter and Matt Sworder of the Corner House, Canterbury, both appearing Saturday 28 September.
Other free events include a coffee masterclass with Ramsgate-based expert Daisy Rollo and a demonstration from Ryan Jacovides, creating small plates from Pomus in Margate, paired with a signature aperitivo.
Ticketed events include Taste of Tuscany with Heritage Cheese/Il Palagiacco; Margate-based Mariachi’s tequila tasting with a twist, and a fun-filled blind wine tasting with Alex and Jake, formerly of No.1 Oscar Road, Broadstairs.
Local pubs and restaurants will be in festival spirit in the run up to the weekend. On Wednesday, September 26, listen to some amusing tales of the festival served with a cream tea at The Royal Albion Hotel, or enjoy a four-course gastro supper in the seaview dining room of The Charles Dickens pub. Twenty-Seven Harbour Street rounds off the town events with a six-course menu served on Friday 27 September. These events are booked directly with the venue.
Dining continues at the festival with two imaginative supper evenings, held in the Festival Theatre. “The Perfect Place to Grow” is a training kitchen created to support 18-24-year-olds not in education. The innovative Margate-based charity will host a four-course menu, filled with passion, prepared and served by the trainees in collaboration with a guest chef.
Taking place Friday 27 September, 7.30pm. Tickets £50, on sale from theperfectplacetogrow.org.uk
The following day, The Foreign Embassy makes its debut at the festival. Known for its inventive one-off banquets in heritage locations from Dickens’ Bleak House in Broadstairs to the Home for Smack Boys and the Italianate Glasshouse in Ramsgate, each one bringing people and appetites together around a single table, the menu remains a secret but will be based around local seafood and seasonal produce.
This takes place on Saturday 28 September, 8pm. Tickets £75 from theforeignembassy.co.uk
Great…just make sure that locals dont get apalling levels of litter thrown everywhere and our underpserfing TDC provide enough litter bins.
i seem to remember it was all overpriced food items that can easily be bought in aldi or lidl for a quarter of the price , most of the other stuff like pickles etc were grossly inflated , and just a gimmick if i am honest.
Go to Poundstretchers Peter. It’s perfect for you.
If you’re referring to me, I’m a big supporter of these events (that said, I’ll be on holiday this year so can’t make it). How about you, B.B. Bing?
Do you get free samples?
I’ve not been but my friend assures me there are lots of free samples to be had. She sets her 6 children a challenge to see who can sample the most foods for free over the weekend. No joke 😂
This festival is not intended to be for those with different concerns like, how can I feed my family well on the limited amount of money I have”
It would be good to see someone trying to do wonderful recipes with local, seasonal foods and not charging astronomic prices for the results. Maybe next year?
Way, way, way overpriced. Full of absolute YAHYAH helmets, too.
Hopefully lots of stalls with overpriced food.. eg loaf of bread £5 ! .. bargain
It’s ironic making greedy profit from food
it is not just ironic frankly it is next to immoral to make large profits from food. Once everyone can be fed adequately then things change but until then.
Maybe another food festival should be started? A festival that showcases the wonderful things that can be made from local, seasonal foods.
Who has a great recipe for potatoes or courgettes or tasty tiny cauliflowers?
who has the best carrot soup or carrot cake recipe?
Who makes the best baked beans/sausages/tomato ketchup/ pickled onions/hedgerow jam/ stew with dumplings/ fishcakes/ lasagne/salsa/ stir fries…………….. is your mouth watering yet?
who has the best money saving tips? Here is mine: keep ypur ginger, garlic and chilli in a plastic box in the freezer so you can just grate in the right amount and it stays fresh , neither drying out or going mouldy.
it is not just ironic frankly it is next to immoral to make large profits from food. Once everyone can be fed adequately then things might change but until then.
Maybe another food festival should be started? A festival that showcases the wonderful things that can be made from local, seasonal food
Who has a great recipe for potatoes or courgettes or tasty tiny cauliflowers?
who has the best carrot soup or carrot cake recipe?
Who makes the best baked beans/sausages/tomato ketchup/ pickled onions/hedgerow jam/ stew with dumplings/ fishcakes/ lasagne/salsa/ stir fries…………….. is your mouth watering yet?
who has the best money saving tips? Here is mine: keep ypur ginger, garlic and chilli in a plastic box in the freezer so you can just grate in the right amount and it stays fresh , neither drying out or going mouldy.
Litter,Litter,Litter do something about all the rubbish thrown everywhere by our tourists.Even got a full nappy last year tossed onto my propert last year.