The Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival
The really local food festival
Andrew Kay is gearing up for the epicurean delights of the city’s favourite food event The Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival
This Easter weekend sees the fabulous Spring Harvest event from the Brighton And Hove Food Festival with a feast of foodie treats for lovers of great food and drink. As ever I am involved in many of the events, from presentimg our two day live food show, this time in Victoria Gardens at the bottom of Church Street opposite the northern end of the Royal Pavilion. This time we have a fantastic line up of local chefs and food experts who will demonstrate their cooking skills and also face my five minute food challenge using Protected Designation of Origin produce from across Europe provided by our stage sponsor Discover the Origin.
Demos include Drakes, Sevendials, The Hove Kitchen, Moshimo, La Cave á Fromage, Boho Gelato, Jeremy’s, Sabai Thai Gastrobar, Hotel du Vin, Hilton Brighton Metropole, L’Eglise, The Grand and Agua Dulce, with more to be confirmed.
The Live Food Show stage will also host the finals of the Brighton Bake Off competition (Friday 9.30am), Great Brighton Ice Cream competition (Saturday 9.30am), Brighton Mini Mix Off cocktail competition (Saturday 1pm) and the Extreme Food Challenge! (Saturday 5pm).
Live Food Show sponsored by Discover the Origin
Good Friday, 29 March–Easter Saturday, 30 March 2013, 9.30am–5pm
Victoria Gardens, Brighton, Free entry
Bitter & Twisted
First seen in the Autumn Harvest Food Festival programme in 2011, Bitter & Twisted returns in Spring 2013 in a tweaked format. Ales are the new black and here in Great Britain we make some of the best. On the night you’ll sample beers from WJ King, Arundel, Hepworths, Brighton Bier, and Brighton’s new North Laine pub and microbrewery.
And as Sussex is also famed for some great ciders, we’re also opening the contest to some of our favourite producers including Wobblegate and an all-new cider brew from Stopham Estate.
In an evening, hosted by yours truly, pitching the best of local ales against others from further afield, beer aficionados and experts will present their favorites, matched with delicious local pub grub from the kitchens of Pub du Vin, for an audience vote that will see at the end of the evening a Bitter & Twisted winner.
Dome Room, Hotel du Vin, Ship Street, Brighton
Good Friday, 29 March 2013, 7pm–10pm (approx)
Advance tickets £22 include all beer, cider and food
Extreme Food Challenge
Following the popularity of the Chilli Eating Challenge in previous festivals, we’re moving to the next level with the Extreme Food Challenge.
Ten victims – err, contestants – will be challenged to eat and drink a variety of ‘delicious’ morsels. The twist being that, whilst edible and even delicacies, these aren’t your average run-of-the-mill food stuffs. There’ll be heat, there’ll be some very unusual canapés, and they’ll definitely be things to make you squirm! The winner is the last man – or woman – standing!
Places are limited so to secure a place at the hottest table in town please register your interest by emailing nat@brightonvisitor.com with your name, mobile number, age, gender and why you should be a contestant. Obviously you’ll need to be available in Brighton on Easter Saturday too!
Live Food Show marquee, Victoria Gardens, Brighton
Easter Saturday, 30 March 2013, 5pm Free entry
Sussex Gourmet Bus Tour
April sees the return of our hugely popular Sussex Gourmet Bus Tour – the perfect day out for anyone passionate about Sussex food and drink. Our day starts with a breakfast on the bus as we head to our first stop. This April we’ll be visiting a local vineyard, brewery and cider maker, alongside a couple of local food producers and – of course – a delicious gastropub lunch. I will be coming along with my Jeremy Paxman hat on to run a fun food quiz on the bus, and we’ll be joined by the team from La Cave á Fromage who’ll be talking you through some great Sussex cheeses. Your ticket includes a full day of food and drink, so book early… and come hungry!
Saturday 20 April 2013
Departs 9.30am from the Old Steine Bus Stop Q only
Arrive back in Brighton around 6.30pm
Advance tickets £65 include transport, tours, all food and wine including a two-course gastropub lunch
Supertasters: The Science of Wine
Find out if you’re a Supertaster taster and if you are, how does it affect your sense of taste? Can you tell white wine from red wine when the wines are in black wine glasses? Can you identify the smells in wines? Taste and smell the effect of different alcohol and acid levels in the same wine!
Dr Belinda Kemp from Plumpton College will take you through wine science experiments and tastings to introduce you to the science behind the art of winemaking. This fun session is suitable for all lovers of wine, no matter what your level of knowledge.
Easter Monday, 1 April 2013, 3pm–5pm (approx) Meeting Room, Myhotel, Jubilee Street, Brighton Advance tickets £25
There are plenty of other events, many of which are free, taking place across the city, all of which you can find on the festival’s website www.brightonfoodfestival.com, tickets for paid events may be booked on the website (for some events you may be re-directed to a festival partner’s website).
