Aylsham Food Festival programme announced
The programme for this year’s Aylsham Food Festival has been announced by its organisers, Slow Food Aylsham. Due to run from Friday 2nd until Sunday 4th October – coinciding with British Food Fortnight – the ever popular Festival will feature established favourite events plus, in a new departure, two complementary food-related presentations at Aylsham Library.

The now traditional ‘Gala Dinner’ at Aylsham High School will again open the Festival weekend with a sumptuous 5-course meal devised, sourced, prepared and served by students from the school’s Hospitality and Catering department.

The theme this year is “The 10-mile Meal” with all ingredients coming, wherever possible, from within a 10 mile radius of Aylsham. Jill Willis, head of Hospitality and Catering, added, “As well as looking at environmental considerations this year, resulting in the ’10-mile meal’ concept, we have also recognised the current economic climate. We wanted to bring the cost down but obviously didn’t want to sacrifice quality in any way. The end result is that we have cut down on choice – but still offering a vegetarian option – enabling us to reduce the ticket price from last year’s £30 to just £18.50 a head.” This price includes wine from Aylsham’s twin town, Le Chausee-St-Victor in the Loire Valley.

Day two of this year’s Aylsham Food Festival will feature the very popular FARMA-accredited Farmer’s Market and this will be complemented by a drop-in Cooking Theatre in the Town Hall where top local chefs will demonstrate the preparation of some of their favourite dishes. Entry to the Cooking Theatre, which will run from 11am to 3pm, is absolutely free and visitors will have the opportunity to sample the dishes.

Also on the Saturday will be two sessions of free Kids Cooking Workshops at Aylsham High School. The Workshops, run in association with the Lottery-funded Let’s Get Cooking national network of cooking clubs, will offer a fun introduction to cooking for 4 – 11 year olds. All ingredients and use of equipment are included but pre-booking is essential – see the website, below, for details.

Rounding off the Festival weekend will be the now-famous Big Slow Breakfast in the Town Hall. A traditional English breakfast, prepared by members of Slow Food Aylsham, will be served in two sittings, at 9am and 11am. Cost is just £4 a person, while a family of four (2 adults and 2 children under 12) can benefit from a special price of £14.

The 2009 Aylsham Food Festival is supported this year by two complementary events at Aylsham Library. The first, on Wednesday 30th September at 10.30am, will feature an illustrated talk, “The Millers Tale”, by Mike Thurlow on Letheringsett Mill – its restoration, flours and bread making. Tickets are just £1 and include refreshments – contact the Library On 01263 732 320 for more details.

“Apple Sunday” is the second event and will be on Sunday 4th October between 11.30am and 1.30pm. There will be the opportunity to meet Francis James from The Apple and Pear People of Hoveton and also to taste the true flavour of Norfolk apples. Entry is free and more details are again available from the Library.

Tickets for the Gala Dinner and the Big Slow Breakfast will be on sale throughout September at the Salad Days fruit & veg stall in Aylsham Market Place while the latest information about the Festival is at
www.aylshamfoodfestival.co.uk

Aylsham Food Festival has gained immense popularity in its four year history. Liz Jones, Leader of Slow Food Aylsham, the organisers, commented, “The Festival has helped to firmly establish Aylsham as a leading Norfolk ‘foodie town’. We feel in these difficult economic times it is important to support local producers and farmers. In addition helping the public to gain more awareness about where and how their food is grown. In 2009 the Festival has expanded but its focus remains on Norfolk producers and all the wonderful food they supply.”