If you have no plans this coming August Bank Holiday weekend, 29th, 30th & 31st, then why not join in with the Foodie Festival’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations at Oxford’s South Park with a three-day feast of Michelin-star and celebrity chefs, award winning artisan producers, food and drink masterclasses and more street food than you can shake a satay stick at!
This year a New Tasting Theatre hosts masterclasses in Oyster Shucking, Bee Keeping, Cheese Selecting and Vegan Recipes. Visitors can also forage for herbs to create Healthy Herb Cocktails and Booze Infused Canapés.
Fans of MasterChef can look forward to 2014 winner Ping Coombes cooking her favourite dishes in the Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre, which visitors can then try for themselves at Ping’s Pop-Up on the Street Food Avenue. Michelin-star, TV and top regional chefs also share their favourite summer recipes, inspiring visitors to recreate these dishes at home and experiment with new flavours and ingredients. Chefs confirmed include:
Ping Coombes – MasterChef Winner 2014
Anne Shooter – Food Writer & Author
Janos Veres – The Hinds Head (Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant)
Xanthe Clay – Food Writer & Author
Tim Anderson – MasterChef Winner 2011
Rahila Hussain – ITV’s Food Glorious Food Winner
Festival-goers can look forward to toasting the summer and Foodies’ 10th anniversary in the new Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre, where experts Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe will guide visitors through this season’s best wines and bubblies, while beer expert Melissa Cole hosts Food and Craft Beer Matching masterclasses.
Chocolate addicts can get an instant hit of coco with ‘How to Sniff Chocolate like a Rockstar’ lessons from Coeur de Xocolat in the Cake & Bake Theatre, which also hosts local bakers offering 3D cake modelling, Chocolate Making and Sugar-Craft masterclasses. A complementingChocolate, Cake and Bake Village is a paradise for home bakers filled with the latest gadgets and essentials – a haven for Great British Bake Off fans.
A Street Food Avenue can be found at the heart of the festival, offering a huge selection of hot and cold dishes from around the world. Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican, French and African cuisines are just some of the cuisines visitors can tuck into at communal tables in the Feasting Tent.
The BBQ Arena is perfect for fans of outdoor cooking with daily ‘King of the Grill’ cook-offs. Or for those brave enough, the famous Chilli Eating Competition challenges entrants to try and break last year’s record of 14 varieties of chillies eaten without a drink to win the Chilli Eating Crown.
An extended Producers Market hosting over 200 artisan producers showcases Oxfordshire’s natural larder of quality produce and the abundance of locally produced foods; visitors will be spoilt for choice with samples, and for what to buy to take home to enjoy.
After a day of feasting and fun, foodies can relax with a spot on the grass and soak in the atmosphere with live music from the entertainment stage and a refreshing cocktail, glass of bubbly or a Pimm’s from the Giant Pimm’s Teapot and Galleon Mojito bars.
Little foodies can explore their taste buds and learn basic cooking skills with Picnic in the Park themed masterclasses in the Childrens Cookery Theatre, where Kiddy Cook will show them how to make finger sandwiches, jellies and chocolate bugs.
Tickets are on sale now at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111
Adult day ticket £13.00 (£11.00 concession)
3-day adult ticket £20.00 (£16.00 concession)
VIP tickets £38.00 – includes a welcome glass of bubbly, access to the VIP tent with private bar and refreshments throughout the day, priority entry to food and drink masterclasses, a goody bag and a showguide.
All children aged 12 and under go free when accompanied by an adult.
Opening times:
Saturday 29th August: 11am – 7pm
Sunday 30th August: 11am – 7pm
Monday 31st August: 11am – 6pm
I have one pair of tickets to give away for the Foodie Festival in Oxford. To be in with a chance of winning these tickets you need to:
* Follow me on Instagram @Freycob and leave a comment on my Foodies Festival photo (return here and leave me your Instagram name to confirm you’ve done this).
* Follow me on Twitter @Freycob reply to my tweet and RT my competition post (return here and leave me your Twitter name to confirm you’ve done this).
* Follow my Facebook page: Freycob leave a comment on my post, and share it on your own wall (return here and confirm you’ve done this as well as leave me details how I can find you shared post).
* Send me an email to foodiefestival@freycob.co.uk
* Return here and leave me a comment, confirming which (or all) you have done of the above. Each of the above will earn you one entry to the draw to win the tickets (entries will be checked to ensure fairness to all).
Entries to win a pair of tickets in this draw will close at 6pm (GMT) on Sunday 9th August 2015.
I have been provided with a pair of tickets for this giveaway by the organisers of the Foodie Festival. Tickets will be sent directly from the organisers after the close of the draw, upon verification of all valid entries.