The UK's biggest Foodies Festival returned to Hove Lawns this sunny bank holiday weekend.
If sampling great food, great drink and great music in the sun is your thing, then this is the event for you
If you love a free sample then you are going to love Foodies Festival. You don't even have time to be bashful about asking. Stall owners are generous when handing out samples to ensure you can fully experience and taste their culinary creations.
Cuisines as wide ranging as Greek, Spanish, Lebanese, French, African and so much more were served across more than 30 different stalls across Hove Gardens this bank holiday weekend.
The savoury smells of smoked meat and roasting vegetables drifting from Snezana Catering Taste of Balkan were enough to draw the crowds in. Sensational wraps with the choice of slightly smoked pulled pork, lamb or chicken marinated in sweet and spicy sauces and then combined with fresh seasonal vegetables made the dish irresistable. The meat was so tender it just melted in your mouth and left you wanting more, despite the generous portion. Make sure you check this place first before you buy something else and get food envy.
Also, if you are a fan of cheese, then all your wishes will come true when you step into Foodies Festival. Not only are there a range of cheese stalls selling enough cheese for you to make up the perfect cheese board, but there is also The Cheese Wheel. This is a cheese fan's dream, a giant cheese wheel where you can chose from a range of foods to become fully 'cheesified.'
Peppered among the food stalls you can also find stalls to quench your thirst, with Harvey's award-winning ales, The Diversity of Champagne, Manchester Gin, Wines of Portugal’s Douro Valley and other top quality drinks ready to accompany your food.
What makes this even better than your standard food festival are the great bands which play throughout the festival to accompany your indulgences and support Music Against Homelessness – an organisation that source opportunities and spaces for up-and-coming talent to play and raise money for homeless services.
Toploader (yes, the real Toploader) headlined on Saturday, climaxing their show with their famous cover of Dancing in the Moonlight and sending the slightly tipsy and sun-kissed crowd wild.
What better way is there to spend your bank holiday weekend than seeing inspiring and mouthwatering demonstrations from the country's top chefs before heading out to taste delicious world cuisines, all whilst well-known and up-and-coming bands provide the upbeat soundtrack to your day.
Sophie Faldo, Great British Bake Off winner from 2017 and Michael Bremner, owner of one of Brighton's favourite restaurants 64 Degrees (rated in the top 30 in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list) wowed the crowds on Saturday with their live baking and cooking demos making you want to get on that apron and start cooking yourself.
MasterChef winner of this year, the locally based Kenny Tutt, and Great British Bake Off 2017 Finalist Steven Carter Bailey both took to the stage on Monday.
If sampling great food, great drink and great music in the sun is your thing, then this is the event for you. After all, being spoilt for choice will be your only concern at the Foodies Festival.
