The Cornwall Food & Drink Festival has set a date, and will be descending on Lemon Quay in Truro on September 26-28, 2008.

With 70 per cent of consumers now wanting to buy local produce, the festival, now in its fifth year, will celebrate Cornwall’s unique producers and chefs, and will provide the perfect platform for exhibitors to showcase their offerings and for buyers to source the finest quality food and drink products.

The festival attracts visitors from across the region and country, and will feature plenty of new activities for food lovers and families alike. New faces from the county’s selection of top restaurants and hospitality outlets will also make an appearance.

The event expects to welcome 25,000 visitors, and will feature more than 60 producers. Promising to be bigger and better than ever, the event will have the support of new sponsors Greenbank Hotel Falmouth, St Austell Brewery and Trewlawney Garden Centre.

Festival chairman and owner of Fodders Wholefood Restaurant Truro, Steve Whittingham said: “With unquestionable diversity and quality, Cornwall’s food and drink produce is arguably the best in the UK. The 2008 Festival will showcase this produce in all its glory, encouraging people to understand where our food comes from, especially younger generations, and just how critical local producers are to the region’s economy. With so much quality produce on offer and new attractions, we are looking forward to celebrating the Festival’s fifth anniversary in style.”

For the first time, the event will feature the new Funky Food for Kids Area. Supported by Trelawney Garden Centre, Wadebridge, the area will acquaint children with food of all varieties and help them learn where it comes from and how it is made.

An evening programme of cheese and wine tasting at The Gallery in Lemon Street Market is another new addition to the programme this year. With local bubbly on arrival, the Taste The Best Against the Rest masterclass begins with Cornwall’s finest award winning cheeses taking on their continental rivals with insight into the best wines to accompany them.

Festival entry is free and is open from 9am to 5.30pm on the Friday and Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

Topics