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The Experimental Food Society Spectacular, held on Saturday 25th September 2010 at The Brickhouse is an annual exhibition and a must-see for any food lover. Be dazzled as our members converge for the first time, each with an exceptional installation that showcases their unique talents. A scenic explosion, the daytime exhibition (11am-5pm) will culminate in an extraordinary banquet finale (7.30pm -1.00am) at which diners feast on the artwork while enjoying a night of food inspired performance. A marvellous culinary event to delight your senses, it is truly 'food, glorious food'.

Featuring an awe-inspiring assemblage of jellymongers, bread artists, one-of-a-kind dining conceptualists, cake artists, butter sculptors, food landscapers, food performers and chocolate sculptors to name a few the event is a spectacular display of Britain's most talented culinary artists.

Highlights include installations by ACMD Productions, Paul Baker, Blanch & Shock, Bompas & Parr, Carl Warner, Caroline Smith aka Mertle, Choc Star, Gingers Comfort Emporium, Jennifer Allum, Lady Greys, Lana Citron, Lily Vanilli, Love To Cake, Michelle Wibowo, Paul Wayne Gregory, Pop Bakery, Professor Roland Rotherham, Prudence Emma Staite, Rebel Dining Society, Sharon Baker, Simon Smith, Stefan Gates, Teatime Production and The Curious Confectioner. The event will also feature a guest appearance by international chocolate painter Sid Chidiac.

Visit the ticketed daytime exhibition and take part in one of the interactive exhibits, marvel at the creations, sample the edible art, watch some of the artists as they create their works on site and pick up recipes and tips on how to get experimental in the kitchen. Consultants to Michelin starred chefs and exhibitors at art houses such as the V&A and Tate Modern, the Experimental Food Society Spectacular offers the chance to meet the movers and shakers of the food arts industry and view their exceptional works. Suitable for all ages, the exhibition includes an installation designed specifically for children.

Guests can also book tickets for the extraordinary banquet finale at which 100 diners will partake in a unique and surreal multi sensory dining experience in which they feast on the artworks in a five-course menu designed by Matthew Reuter (Head Chef, The Brickhouse) and Experimental Food Society members. Accompanied by a series of food related performances, the interactive evening will end with food themed DJ sets by the Broken Hearts.

The Experimental Food Society is an organization formed to front the UK's most talented culinary creatives, featuring ground-breaking gourmet artists that will challenge your perception of food and show you that there is more to life than just swallowing. As well as an annual Spectacular, the Society features an online members directory and a series of Talk's.

The Experimental Food Society was founded by Alexa Perrin, whose long-term passion for food and drink inspired its inception in January this year. Says Alexa, 'The pleasure of food, both emotional and psychological, has been utilized to great effect in the past, delighting, surprising and inspiring its recipients. The Experimental Food Society is borne out of a desire to revive food as an art form and change the landscape of food events forever

'It is not just what you eat but how you eat it'

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Cornwall Food & Drink Festival 24-26 September 2010

Entering its seventh year, the Cornwall Food and Drink Festival brings the cream of Cornish food producers and chefs together on Truro’s Lemon Quay. Fringe events around the county and special breaks from Cornwall’s leading hotels will ensure that Cornwall really is the place to be for every food lover over that weekend.

This year’s Cornwall Food and Drink Festival, sponsored by cornishfoodmarket.co.uk, is set to turn up the heat on Cornwall’s exciting food scene, with three action packed days full of the county’s finest food. To whet the appetite here’s a little taster of what to expect …

With free entry, the festival on Truro’s Lemon Quay will be a who’s who of Cornwall’s celebrated food heroes. Exhibitors on hand to tick every box on the shopping list include established names such as Cornish Duck Company, Callestick Farm and Cornish Orchards, but don’t forget to look out for small, artisan producers like Nicky Grant with speciality chocolate creations, Simply Oil with a Cornish-produced cold pressed rape seed oil, Stingers nettle ale from forager Foodswild, and tantalising Cornish Cupcakes, all adding to the magic as they exhibit for the first time in the Food and Drink Pavilion.

Watch all the action in the Chef’s Theatre where familiar faces such as Nathan Outlaw, Neil Haydock, Fiona Were and Kevin Viner will be found, along with some new names making a stir on the Cornish food agenda.

The Croust Bar will keep peckish visitors smiling with a host of fine Cornish food. Check out Fish for Thought’s grilled plump scallops cooked in melted garlic butter or Crabby Jacks Cornish crab sarnies. For hungrier tummies, St Ives Beef will whip up a burger made from beef raised on the cliffs just outside St Ives. Veggies will be bowled over by Lafafa’s meze platters, whilst Rowe’s pasties and Tregothnan’s classic cream teas will satisfy those with a taste for the county’s traditional favourites.

Good food just isn’t the same without good drink and St Austell Brewery’s licensed bar will be serving a range of their award winning ales, along with acclaimed Cornish wines from Camel Valley, Healey’s Rattler Cyder and Cornish produced soft drinks. With Tregothnan teas and Origin’s fabulous locally roasted coffees, even the hot drinks have a Cornish flavour.

And for the children?
Little foodies will be very well catered for at the Funky Food Zone in nearby Tinner’s Court. Working in association with the Cornwall Food & Farming Group and Rodda’s Fresh Cornish Milk, kids will be able to get to grips with milking a cow, churning butter and making milkshakes. Mums and Little Ones is offering a baby change and bottle warming facilities.

On the eve of the show, lucky diners at hosted tables will enjoy a sumptuous meal prepared by the Magnificent Seven - Cornwall’s ‘fastest chefs in the west’. The chefs, including Michelin starred Nathan Outlaw and Rick Stein’s executive chef David Sharland, compered by Kevin Viner, will work as a team to cook a five course menu from the finest Cornish ingredients.

On the festival fringes look out for the festival flavour all over the county. From tours of Polgoon Vineyard in the far west, to ‘two for the price of one’ cream teas at St Mellion in the east; a seasonal evening at Rick Stein’s Seafood School and Deli in Padstow, or getting back to nature with a farm walk organised by Lobb’s Farm Shop at Heligan, the festival spirit really will be taking Cornwall by storm. As well as playing host to the festival on Lemon Quay, Truro is also celebrating with the Truro Trail, where special festival menus can be discovered around the city.

Where to stay?
The Hotel and Extreme Academy at Watergate Bay is offering free dinner at The Brasserie when you book two nights on a B & B basis during the festival. For more information on the festival and accommodation packages, please visit cornwallfoodanddrinkfestival.com.

The Cornwall Food and Drink Festival 2010
Friday 24 – Sunday 26 September 2010
Lemon Quay, Truro
Festival entry is free and open from 9.00am to 5.30pm on Friday 24 and Saturday 25, from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Sunday 26 September.
For more information contact Ruth Huxley on 01872 865101

Foodies Festival Edinburgh, Holyrood Park, August 13 -15

On August 13, 14, 15 Edinburgh’s annual food and drink event, Foodies Festival, joins forces with the Edinburgh Fringe to combine cooking with comedy, showcase award-winning live entertainment and host guest appearances from Fringe celebrities.

Visitors are treated to a taste of the Edinburgh Fringe as comedians take to the stage in the Chefs Theatre. Fringe funny men including Stephen K Amos, Brendon Burns, Jon Richardson and Tim Vine will join Scotland’s Michelin star chefs to cook their favourite dishes live for you.

During the event Fringe star’s including Abi Titmuss and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" actress Caroline Rhea will pop-up on stage to assist the chefs with their demonstrations.

Food lovers can take a break from shopping and sampling to enjoy live entertainment from the Edinburgh Festivals Magazine sponsored stage which will showcase award winning Fringe performances including music, dance, comedy and kids shows such as Circus Burlesque; Soweto Gospel Choir; Les Bof! and Vive La Cabaret.

Now in it’s fourth year, the founding Foodies event is one of four festivals taking place across the UK this summer, including Hampton Court Palace, Leeds, Oxford, Edinburgh.

The stars of the show are, of course, the chefs, this year, visitors will see Geoffrey Smeddle of the Peat Inn, the Scottish Restaurant Awards’ ‘Chef of the Year’ and ‘Restaurant of the Year’ 2010; Edinburgh’s beloved Mary Contini of Valvona & Crolla and Michelin-starred Tony Borthwick of the Plumed Horse; Glasgow’s favourites Paul Tamburini of Hotel du Vin and Stephen Newman of Yo! Sushi as well as Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Food Award winner Pete Gottgens of Ardeonaig.

The event also features hands-on food and drink masterclasses with plenty of tasting; over 100 exhibitors showcasing local, seasonal produce and specialty food and drink; favourite local restaurants serving taster portions of signature dishes and top bars serving summer cocktails, as well as a Veuve Clicquot champagne tent.

Foodies Director Sue Hitchen commented:
“Each Foodies Festival event is a great opportunity to celebrate local culinary and restaurant talent and a commitment to fresh, seasonal and local produce. Foodies brings together a passionate and discerning audience with Britain’s finest producers, connoisseurs and top chefs.”

The first Foodies event of the season was held in the ground of Hampton Court Palace on May 29 – 31 and attracted over 21,000 visitors. Highlight’s included live cooking demonstrations, followed by book signings, from TV’s Nadia Sawalha and Paul Merrett of The Victoria, as well as a fantastic double act performance from Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi fresh from their appearance of Saturday Kitchen. Visitors enjoyed jugs of pims and mini bottles of Veuve Clicquot and dishes from Michelin starred Atule Kochhar of Benares Restaurants.

With the prospect of a bumper harvest this year, plans are afoot to strengthen the wine making team at Cornwall’s Camel Valley Vineyard. Aussie Ryan Carter has been brought in as Assistant Wine Maker for the 2010 vintage. Most recently Ryan was Production Manager at Capel Vale Wines in Western Australia, but has worked just about everywhere from the Napa Valley to Bordeaux. However, it was his 4 years at the highly acclaimed Shaw and Smith in the Adelaide Hills that caught Camel Valley’s founder’s eye.

Bob Lindo said ‘Ryan’s experience with Chardonnay will be very valuable. Only in recent years has it been produced in England with any degree of success. We have a great team here but, like most premiership outfits, we’re always looking to strengthen wherever we can.’

The team, lead by UK Wine maker of the Year, Sam Lindo, will be doing their twentieth vintage at Camel Valley and recognise this vintage as potentially the most exciting to date.

Added Sam: ‘The vintage is about a good strong team doing every little thing perfectly. At Camel Valley we meet most of our customers face to face and they’ll let us know if we slip up.’

Camel Valley won the International Wine Challenge England Trophy for the second successive year in 2010 and went on to win the International Trophy for the best sparkling rosé against top opposition from the rest of the world, including Champagne.

Harvesting is expected to start in the last week of September.

Made in Northumberland, a Northumberland Tourism project will be supporting two of the region’s leading food festivals: Berwick Food Festival (September 11th-12th) and Alnwick Food Festival (September 18th -19th). The project will host 2 Meet the Producer events on the Friday before each Festival encouraging local businesses, tourist attractions and accommodation providers to use the events to source more local produce for their menus.

“Both Alnwick and Berwick are ancient market towns with a rich history and heritage, a focus on rural life and an iconic and timeless feel, providing a fantastic platform for a traditional food festival. These festivals offer a unique and relaxing experience in the increasingly more popular concept of food tourism, helping Alnwick and Berwick be recognised for their cuisine and attract more visitors. We want businesses in and around north Northumberland to support their food festivals and join us for the Meet the Producer events to see how they can benefit from using local produce in their business”.

Helen Farr of Sloe Crafts is one of the producers who has taken part every single Alnwick and Berwick Food Festival. Based on the family farm at Lorbottle West Steads near Thropton, her signature product is Sloe Gin made to a family recipe with fruit collected from Northumberland hedgerows. She explains “I launched my first range of sloe gin at the Alnwick Food Festival in 2005 and it played a huge role in helping me raise my profile in the region. I have continued to support both festivals and I would encourage any businesses that are looking to source local to come along, having everyone in the same place at the same time will make it easy for them to meet a great selection of producers.”

Berwick Food Festival, now in its third year, is organised by the town’s Slow Food Group. Recently praised by the organisation’s Head Office as being one of the most proactive groups in the UK, the committee has worked hard to encourage the whole community to think local. They will host the first Meet the Producer lunch on Friday 10th September in the festival marquee. Following a Keynote Address from Pascal Watkins, Director of Yorkshire’s Angel Inn in Hetton on how thinking local can add value to a business, guests will enjoy a three course lunch. The ingredients will be sourced from a selection of the festival’s thirty plus stall holders and created by DM Catering, who will provide a menu of local food and drink throughout the festival weekend. They will also have chance to try some of the 30 real ales and local ciders that will be on offer at the festival.

Festival Director Lisa Wilson said: “We were delighted when Northumberland Tourism approached us to work together on a launch event for the festival. The Made in Northumberland project has many aims in common with Slow Food including supporting small producers and encouraging those involved in hospitality to use local produce. This is not just a nice thing to do, Northumberland Tourism has done a lot of work to show people that sourcing in this way can actually add value to their businesses.”

The following week sees the Meet the Producer of the very successful Alnwick Food Festival; now in its 6th year, regularly attracting over 15,000 residents and visitors to the town over the course of the weekend. Producers and businesses will be invited to network over a local produce lunch in Blackmore’s of Alnwick, whilst watching Head Chef John Blackmore demonstrate his culinary skills with some Northumberland Estates Game and Ingram Valley Lamb. In the afternoon, Shaun Wilson, (formerly Martin Platt of Coronation Street) will be talking about his new cheesmaking venture, The Saddleworth Cheese Company and giving some tips on marketing and promoting your business.

Karen Larkin who has taken over the reins of the Alnwick event this year says: “Alnwick Food Festival is an excellent platform to show locals and visitors the wealth of produce available in the area. Our aim is for every pub and restaurant in and around Alnwick to sell, serve and promote local produce.”

The Berwick Food Festival Meet the Producer Lunch takes place on Friday 10th September at 11.30 in the Marquee on The Parade, Berwick upon the Tweed. The Alnwick Food Festival Meet the Producer is the following week, Friday 17th September, at Blackmore’s of Alnwick starting at 11.30.