Media
Please view the press releases below12 August 2010
Kingston Lacy opens up for Festival visitors
Kingston Lacy is throwing open the doors of its kitchen garden this autumn and visitors to the Wimborne Food Festival sponsored by Waitrose are invited to step inside to see what's growing.Gardeners at the National Trust-run 8,500-acre estate have been restoring the kitchen garden to its former glory and food fans will be able to stroll the gravel paths over the festival weekend of October 23 and 24 to see work in progress.
Staff will be on hand to describe both what has gone into the project and to emphasise the importance of a sustainable food supply; a message which is just as relevant today as it was 300 years ago when the house and gardens were created for the Bankes family.
Visitors will then be able to make a beeline for the restaurant where estate-grown produce has been transformed into delicious dishes to delight the eye and re-fuel tired legs. Many ingredients are home-grown or locally-sourced, including beef from the estate's herd of Red Devon cattle and ice cream made by tenant farmers from one of Kingston Lacy's 12 working farms.
This year's festival, which is held on the Minster Green, the Square, Corn Market and High Street in the picturesque market town of Wimborne, promises to be the biggest and best yet with scores of local food producers signed up for the Waitrose-backed event.
Last year more than 8,000 people turned out to see and sample the culinary delights on offer and organisers are expecting even more this time around as it moves into its fourth year.
"Every year we have grown and it's great that we are becoming more and more popular," said organiser Clare Kavanagh. "But I'm also committed to keeping our focus on making the Festival an event which showcases all that is best about this area - the people, the culture and the food."
Entry to the Wimborne Food Festival is free and it takes over the whole town for the weekend, featuring local independent food producers, brewers, winemakers and chefs, who are dedicated to nurturing, preserving and highlighting the very best in local food and drink.
This year there will also be photographic and art competitions, a Vegetable Olympics and a host of other events, including:
- Food market tent
- Country craft demonstration area
- Tastings galore
- Demonstration tent
- Chefs' showcase
- Kids food factory zones
- Book signings
- Story-telling tee-pee
- Music recitals
- Street performers
- More than 50 town events
1 August 2010
Festival looks for an Olympian turnip tosser!
The Wimborne Food Festival sponsored by Waitrose has teamed up with one of the Dorset's best-loved organisations to find the county's top turnip tossers.Julia's House will be the nominated charity for the 2010 festival, which runs over the weekend of October 23 and 24 and features local independent food producers, brewers, winemakers and chefs, who are dedicated to nurturing, preserving and highlighting the very best in local food and drink.
And one of the main fund-raising events will be a new sporting challenge - the Vegetable Olympics.
Festival organiser Clare Kavanagh said: "We are inviting teams of three to test their athletic prowess with vegetables and participate in the Vegetable Olympics on Saturday 23 October at the food festival.
"We are rekindling the true Olympic spirit where it's all about the taking part, although winners are allowed to bathe in the warm glow of victory and receive the esteem and respect of their peers. And everyone can compete knowing they are helping out a fantastic charity."
The feats of vegetable (and fruit) derring-do will include a potato sack race, a satsuma and spoon race, turnip tossing and many more, requiring the skill of a true vegetable Olympian.
Julia's House is Dorset's only hospice dedicated to children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions and Clare said: "Julia's House does such fantastic work in the county with their dedicated, talented staff and we are proud to have them on board for the 2010 festival.
"It's a great Dorset charity and we're a great Dorset event so we are a natural match."
Di Pestell, Community Fundraiser at Julia's House, said: "Julia's House is delighted to be the nominated charity for the 2010 Wimborne Food Festival.
"The event gets bigger every year and gives us a great opportunity to raise our profile at a major local event.
"It is even more special as Wimborne is so local to the hospice at Corfe Mullen and we will be opening our own Julia's House shop, just opposite Waitrose, very soon."
As the nominated charity, Julia's House will also have a street collection, donation boxes and an information stall at the festival.
For more information on this event and to register a team contact Clare on 07989 018114 or wimbornefoodfestival@clarekavanaghevents.co.uk All entries will receive a Waitrose goody bag.
26 May 2010
Waitrose joins the Wimborne Food Festival family!
Waitrose has become the biggest sponsor in the history of the Wimborne Food Festival after signing up to be the main supporter of the 2010 event.With a new store opening in the town in July, Waitrose's backing for the Festival, which will run over the weekend of 23-24 October and launches Dorset Food Week, shows their commitment to the local community.
Festival organiser Clare Kavanagh said: "This is great news for the Festival and shows Waitrose's determination to support the local economy and the way of life in our area.
"Waitrose has an ethos that the Festival can identify with. They want to support local suppliers and do something positive for the community and their customer focus is unmatched within the industry."
Waitrose has already developed a strong relationship with the Festival, sponsoring the launch event last year and its support this year will tie in with the opening of their new store in the town on 8 July, five months ahead of the original schedule.
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With Waitrose now on board as the main sponsor, Clare believes this year's event will be the biggest and best since the Festival began three years ago. Preparations are already well under way for the two-day event, which will have 'sustainability' as its main theme.
"Every year we have grown and I am delighted that Waitrose have joined us on our journey - I am sure it will be a long and happy partnership," said Clare. "It's great that we are becoming more and more popular but I'm also committed to keeping our focus on making the Festival an event which showcases all that is best about this area - the people, the culture and the food."
Entry to the Wimborne Food Festival is free and it takes over the whole town for the weekend, featuring local independent food producers, brewers, winemakers and chefs, who are dedicated to nurturing, preserving and highlighting the very best in local food and drink.
Last year more than 8,000 people coming to the town despite some inclement weather. This year there will be photographic and art competitions in the build-up and on the day there will be lots of delicious things to eat and drink and many exciting events, including:
- Food market tent
- Country craft demonstration area
- Tastings galore
- Demonstration tent
- Chefs' showcase
- Kids food factory zones
- Book signings
- Story-telling tee-pee
- Music recitals
- Street performers
- More than 50 town events
"The Festival is all about people getting involved and taking an interest in food - so if people want to get the ball rolling at this early stage and suggest ideas and express their views, then that would be great."
21 April 2010
Wimborne Food Festival goes green
The team behind the annual Wimborne Food Festival is aiming to make this year's event the greenest yet.'Sustainability' will be the watchword for the festival, which will run over the weekend of 23-24 October and launches Dorset Food Week.
"We pride ourselves on pushing the boundaries and 2010 will be no different," says organiser Clare Kavanagh. "So as well as showcasing the best in locally produced food and drink, we will be promoting sustainable, environmentally-friendly approaches to food production and cooking.
"This will include demonstrations in how to make the most of your ingredients, cooking with leftovers and even recipes that take the sourcing of local ingredients one step further - think mushrooms, nuts and nettles!"
The festival takes over the whole town of Wimborne for a weekend and features local independent food producers, brewers, winemakers and chefs who are dedicated to nurturing, preserving and highlighting the very best in local food and drink. The festival shows that people really do care about food, where it comes from and what they and their families consume - with more than 8,000 people coming to the town last year despite some inclement weather.
"As a mum I'm only too aware of how important it is to get children to eat healthy, nutritious food that you can trust. And that is what the festival is all about," said Clare.
And her own hectic schedule was interrup ted last month when she became a mum for the second time with the arrival of Poppy - a sister for two-year-old Daisy.
"It's certainly been a busy time but I'm looking forward to introducing Poppy to some of our exhibitors as I travel around Dorset meeting some of the characters who have made this event such a success in the past," she says. "And by the time the festival comes around she'll be ready for a bit of solid food!"
Preparations are already well under way for this year's event with a number of exhibitors and sponsors on board. There will be photographic and art competitions in the build-up and on the day there will be lots of delicious things to eat and drink and many exciting events, including:
- Food market tent
- Country craft demonstration area
- Tasters galore
- Demonstration tent
- Chefs' showcase
- Kids food factory zones
- Book signings
- Story-telling tee-pee
- Music recitals
- Street performers
- More than 50 town events
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