In a few weeks, Brighton Hove Lawns will host the Foodies Festival, the UK’s largest food festival and there is so much on that I’m feeling hungry just thinking about it. In their seventh consecutive year in Brighton, the Foodies Festival sees tens-of-thousands of visitor’s watch Michelin starred chef’s, drink wine, beer and vintage tea and take part in the chili challenge.
There’s a ‘Feel Good Foods’ theme to the Foodies Festival this year, with an abundance of healthy living chefs and food writers joining the line-up to cook with superfoods including kefir, lucuma, freekeh, kelp and banana flour as well as sirt rich foods such as blueberries, kale, celery, buckwheat, turmeric, chili and red onion. New to this year’s festival is the Feasting Tent which includes long banqueting tables where guests and chefs can enjoy some of the delicious foods available. There will also be a Drinks Theatre where expert mixologists and sommeliers will host a number of masterclasses. Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe will host champagne and wine masterclasses and Melissa Cole, writer and beer connoisseur will be hosting craft beer tutorials.
The top chefs at the festival this year are Adam Simmonds, the winner of the Great British Menu and Michelin Star Chef, Emma Spitzer, MasterChef Finalist in 2015 and Steven Edwards, MasterChef: The Professionals Winner 2013. Top local chefs include Dave Mothersill from The Coal Shed & The Salt Room, Alun Sperring from The Chilli Pickle and Josh Stanzl of the much anticipated i360 Brasserie.
The chili challenge is not the only challenge taking place over the weekend as those more daring foodies among us can take part in the daily Bush Tucker Trial on the Challenge Stage. Compete against others by eating jungle insects from small ants to large juicy grubs. There will also be chance to try insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, mealworms, beetles and scorpions from the Vietnamese Street Food stand. These will also be sold in powder and flour form because they are, in fact, a high source of protein. Again this year there will the Street Food Avenue where you can try food from all over the globe, from Argentina to Korea.
All of this, with the backdrop of great live music and entertainment, will make for a truly incredible and food filled weekend. You can buy tickets for the weekend here.
Holly Martin
feature image: Helen via the Creative Commons License
