The UK'S Top Food Festivals 2023 - Europe
Festival season is here, which means you can eat and drink your way around the UK as producers and chefs gather to whet your appetitie. Here's where to head for gastronmic highlights.
Words by Megan Dickson
ALSO Festival Warwickshire
Set deep in the Warwickshire wilderness, ALSO’s three-day programme is jam-packed with delicious offerings. From gyoza masterclasses, oyster tasting with legendary Winkle Picker, live demos from cookbook authors Danny Jack and Hailee Kukura, to a fired-up lunch from Temper’s Neil Rankin, you’ll find exemplary food and drink throughout. Elsewhere, discover thoughtful speakers, musical shows and comedy performances across the festival’s 14 stages.
Travel Details
14-16 July. Tickets from £45. also-festival.com
Rock Oyster Festival Cornwall
The brainchild of Padstow native Jack Stein, the Seafood Restaurant chef brings together an elite casting of Michelin chefs for expert demonstrations, fire feasts and mouthwatering Cornish paella for this three-day event.Masterclasses cover off skills like curing and smoking and cooking over flame, and there’s the option to forage and cook your finds too. Make the most of it and pitch a tent – you’ll be dining and dancing on the banks of estuary for the duration.
Travel Details
28-30 July. Tickets from £54. rockoysterfestival.co.uk
Meatopia London
The aptly named festival – on London’s Tobacco Docks – is the place to whet any carnivorous appetite. And this year, the antics will be hotter than ever as Meatopia celebrates its tenth year. The line-up will see 100 chefs from around the globe under the spotlight, including US barbecue connoisseur Tuffy Stone, Swedish duo Holy Smoke and Sam Grainger from Liverpool’s Belzan, with more to be announced shortly. If you’re a fan of live fire cooking, this one’s for you.
Travel Details
31 August-3 September. Tickets from £22. meatopia.co.uk
Ludlow Food Festival Shropshire
As the UK’s original food festival, gourmands have been flocking to the historic market town for almost three decades – and with good reason. Inside Ludlow Castle’s grounds, you can stock up on superlative ingredients and produce that hail from Ludlow, the Welsh Marches and beyond. This year sees the return of over 100 exhibitors showcasing artisan charcuterie, baked goods, pantry essentials like golden hedgerow honey, small-batch craft gin plus plenty more to sink your teeth into.
Travel Details
8-10 September. Tickets from £13.50. foodfestival.co.uk
Seafeast Dorset
Seafood doesn’t get much better than when it’s served straight off the south coast, and Seafeast have been paying homage to local fishermen, producers and chefs for 15 years. Dock into the Weymouth Peninsula for a weekend of first-rate fare: expect grilled Portland lobster, hand-dived scallops seared in butter and garlic and cider-spiked mussels, all while raising awareness for sourcing responsible, ocean health, as well as funds for The Fishermen’s Mission.
Travel Details
9-10 September. Tickets from £10. dorsetseafood.co.uk
The Home of Food London
New for 2023, the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground has teamed up with Michelinstarred chef Tommy Banks of The Black Swan at Oldstead for a weekend of exceptional dining, artisan food stalls and culinary demonstrations. And those with stars in their eyes can pull up a chair for a one-of-a-kind, four-course tasting menu that will see Tommy joined by Lisa Goodwin- Allen, Niall Keating and Gareth Ward plate up a meal to remember.
Travel Details
9- 10 September. Tickets from £3. Menu £299pp, including drinks. lords.org
Abergavenny Food Festival Monmouthshire
From humble beginnings – it was founded in 1999 by two farmers who shared a passion for ingredients grown and raised on the Welsh borders – Abergavenny now features 150 exhibitors that hone in on quality and provenance. Celebrating its 25th festival, this year’s line-up sees Andi Oliver, Jürgen Krauss, Angela Hartnett, Neil Borthwick and Jeremy Pang take to the stage. Make sure you stay for Saturday’s popular night market.
Travel Details
16-17 September. Tickets from £13.50. abergavennyfoodfestival.com
Pub in the Park Various dates and locations
Pub in the Park Various dates and locations, June-September Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park boasts the title of the UK’s biggest food and music festival. Having started in early June in London’s Dulwich, the culinary tour calls at Bath, Tunbridge Wells, St Albans and a few spots in between. Joining Tom are the likes of Ainsley Harriot, Si King, Marco Pierre White and Matt Tebutt – it’s unmissable.
Travel Details
June-September. Tickets from £47.20. pubintheparkuk.com
Edinburgh Food Festival Edinburgh
Set in George Square Gardens, this one’s for street-food fans. It’s hard to know where to start, but our palates are set on sambalglazed spicy chicken wings from award-winning Okanda, cinnamon-dusted churrofunnel cake at The Funnel Cake Co and succulent steak strips from The Peruvian.
Travel Details
21-30 July. Free entry. edfoodfest.com
Malton Food Lovers Food Festival Yorkshire
When a market town refers to itself as ‘the food capital of Yorkshire’ it’s worth a visit. And this weekend event is the best way to take a biteout of what’s on offer, from flaky pastries to rich beef pies and Bakewell tart ice cream.
Travel Details
26-27 August. Free entry. visitmalton.com
Scottish Wild Food Festival Scotland
On the edge of Loch Lomond National Park, sheltered woodlands are the place to be for wild food and foraging fans. From long table lunches to workshops and bush trails, head here to reconnect with nature.
Travel Details
16-17 September. Tickets from £17. scottishwildfoodfestival.co.uk
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