Popular Bridport Food Festival is again a great success

Organised by Bridport Local Food Group, events ranging from masterclasses to quizzes and special menus to tours and tastings took place throughout the town.

The week culminated with the extremely popular Bridport Food Festival last Saturday, a showcasing which brought together more than 60 local food and drink businesses, local chefs demonstrating in the cookery theatre, cream teas in the festival tea tent, baking competitions for all ages in the Bake It! tent and a whole host of free food and drink activities for children in the TeenZone and children’s marquee.

This was all accompanied by Bridport Round Table’s Beer Festival, which offered more than 70 ales and beers and more than 30 ciders with music into the evening.

Bridport Local Food Group gave bursaries to two new start-up businesses - Dorset Donuts and Curious Kombucha Teas - who were able to exhibit at the festival for free.

The best trade stand was judged by Lucy Hart, the Melplash Agricultural Society secretary, to be Solkiki from Sherborne, a vegan bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker.

The new Bake It! competition attracted more than 50 entries into the various classes, an equal split between those aged over and under 16.

The winners were:

Over 16s

Dorset Apple Cake - 1st Theresa Rayner, 2nd Jean Dare, 3rd Vicki Wren

Vegetable Cake - 1st Theresa Rayner, 2nd Steve Crimp, 3rd Rebecca Joy

Zesty Lemon Cake - 1st Alison Lang, 2nd Theresa Rayner, 3rd Sam Wickham

Hommity Pie - 1st Vicki Wren, 2nd Alan Finch

Sausage Rolls - 1st Jean Dare, 2nd Vicki Wren

Jam - 1st Vicki Wren, 2nd Alan Finch, 3rd Christine Nunn

16 and under

Hommity Pie - 1st Kitty Arscott

Dorset Apple Cake - 1st Molly Rayner, 2nd Evangelina Murless, 3rd Ellie Citroen-Symes

Vegetable Cake - 1st Katharina Emerson, 2nd Evangelina Murless, 3rd Emma Shelley

Sausage Rolls - 1st Lola Rowling, 3rd Julia Roth (no second place)

Zesty Lemon Cake 1st Sophie Meaden, 2nd Rebecca Emerson, 3rd Scarlett Butchart.

The children’s marquee was packed with free activities and children all day, who enjoyed making fresh gelato, pasta and pesto, decorating cotton shopping bags and drawing and painting Italian style with local artist Michelle Hazell.

The TeenZone was managed by Heather Marsden and her team from Bridport Youth Club, and activities included making mocktails with Lloyd Brown, chocolate fruit flowers with Gareth Morris from Aleksandra’s Chocolate Café, quizzes, competitions and music by DJ James Baker. They were also entertained with comedic poetry, themed around food and drink by Rob Casey, Bridport’s stand-up poet.

This year, the food festival raffle raised funds for the Bridport Local Food Group’s community cooking kit, which aims to get more adults and children cooking in the area. The kit is free for community groups to borrow and the funds raised will enable the food group to also provide a qualified cook of chef to come along with it.

Kathy Dare, Bridport Local Food Group chairman, said: “As always, the aim of Bridport Food Festival is not only to promote the fabulous food and drink industry in the area, but also to get the whole community engaged - eating and sampling local food and drink and enjoying the social benefits that coming together with food provides.

“It has been a great success throughout, from St Mary’s edible garden fete to the festival showcase on Saturday at Asker Meadows. There has been a real buzz in the town and across the various venues hosting events.

“It has been great to see people returning to the food festival and also so many first-time visitors - both local and from further afield - not just attending but also getting involved.

“A huge thank you to everyone that joined in the festivities and bought tickets for the raffle. Special thanks to the Bridport Local Food Group committee of volunteers who put on the festival, the many food and drink producers, suppliers and venues who supported the week and to all the local businesses who financially helped us through sponsorship, very much appreciated.”