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Beccles Food and Drink Festival has announced its programme for the 2023 event. Set for Saturday 27 May, over 60 stalls consisting of artisan East Anglian produce and world street food will make it the biggest one since the pandemic. Running from 10am until 4pm, the town centre around Sheepgate, New Market and St. Michael’s Parish church will be filled with the smell of cooking from around the world, including Italian, Indian, Thai, Malaysian and American style dishes to tempt the taste buds.
The Local Flavours cookery theatre outside Barclays Bank, sponsored by the Visitor Economy Network Initiative Partnership, will feature a diverse range of demonstrations by Lauren Ellis, Head Pastry Chef at Coutts Bank in London, and Suffolk chef Emma Crowhurst showing how to be food savvy and save money while producing delicious food. They will be joined by chef Scott Nathan from award winning Easy Tiger pan-Asian restaurant in Beccles, while co-owner of Two Magpies Bakery, Rebecca Bishop, will be signing copies of her newly published cookery book following her demonstration. The schedule of demonstrations will be completed by Chef Lecturer Dave Patterson, along with year 3 Hospitality and Catering students from East Coast College.
and headline chef Richard Bainbridge of Benedicts, Norwich
Music from local acts will add to the atmosphere, while Hanton’s Punch and Judy and face painting will entertain young and old alike in St. Michael’s church yard.
Fringe events in the lead up to the main Festival kick off over the weekend of 13/14 May with a lunch and dinner 10 Mile Menu at The Swan, Loddon, using produce with the lowest food miles available. At the same time, a free Food Quiz for Children starts in Beccles and District Museum and will run until 10 June.
Over the following two weeks, Graze at the White Horse are offering a Ladies Who Lunch two course set lunch, with optional glass of fizz, in their restaurant or garden. During the same period Easy Tiger, it’s sister restaurant in Beccles, has on the evening menu a two course Asian set meal.
On 20 May, The Racehorse Community Pub in nearby Westhall is holding a Beccles Brew Day and Night, featuring local brewers and a variety of sausage based dishes.
Meanwhile, in nearby Bungay, Earsham Street Café is holding one of their popular themed evenings with a six course Persian Tasting menu on 25 May.
The Fringe rounds off with a Farm Walk and Talk, followed by afternoon tea in the barn, on 3 June.
Details of all events, along with links to the host websites, can be found at becclesfoodfestival.co.uk
• photography credit: Dominic’s Photography
