Momentum continues to build for second food festival

Forty stalls and concessions have already signed up to offer local food and drink products at this year’s Reepham Food Festival.
 

The cook-off in 2017 between Roger Holden of Hansells and Lucy Downing of Norfolk Country Cottages – a draw. Photos: John Tym

 
To be held on 27 May, the event is being organised by Reepham & District Rotary Club working with other local organisations.
 
Charlie Hodson is returning with his Norfolk Food Heroes to demonstrate cooking skills and recipe ideas. And visitors will be able to learn from successful Norfolk restaurateurs such as Roger Hickman and Andrew Jones.
 
Reepham’s schools will be involved with a Junior Masterchef competition and food science demonstrations. (Did you know you can measure the speed of light with chocolate?) Scientists from Norwich Research Park will also be there to explain some of their latest thinking.
 
New for 2018 will be farm-to-food demonstrations. Small sample crops grown by the allotments team at Reepham High School will be shown alongside explanations of processing and finished product. Meanwhile, producers and processors will be on hand to shown how the crops get to the table and provide samples, including beer, rapeseed oil, crisps and bread.
 
“We were very encouraged by the response to our first festival last year,” said event organiser Richard Cooke. “The market square in Reepham is the ideal location for a festival. It brought together the whole community and many visitors to the town. We are aiming for a bigger and better festival for 2018.”
 
There will be events to open and close the festival. The opening Saturday evening will see canapés from the Dial House, along with the Rotary Bar and a gin cocktail tasting experience.
 
The Sunday will close with a community buffet supper using produce from stallholders and local suppliers.
 
The Reepham Food Festival is being supported by grants from Broadland District Council, Reepham Town Council, Tesco’s Bags of Help programme and the National Lottery Awards for All fund. It is also sponsored by a range of local business; principal sponsors for 2018 are Duff Morgan.
 
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Junior Masterchef contestants at Reepham High School in 2017.

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