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July’s Hampshire Food Festival celebrates local food and farming

15 March 2012

Over 70 different events held across Hampshire will celebrate the best of local food and farming throughout July’s Hampshire Food Festival (July 1-31).

Hampshire Food Festival visitors can take part in farm tours, local food-themed festival menus and celebration dinners, hands-on cookery, chocolate and jam-making workshops, butchery master classes, brewery tours, vineyard tours and wine tasting, cookery demonstrations, barbecues, an ox roast and barn dance, vegetable carving workshops, an orchard walk and juice tasting, maize maze, lavender farm walks, lavender chocolate-making and lavender teas, an amateur chef competition, bakery and fish filleting demos, food and farm festivals, farmers’ markets and more!

James Martin and Rachel Allen headline the Hampshire Food Festival with a weekend of 3* indulgence at Festival Place in Basingstoke 20-22 July. James and Rachel will be demonstrating delicious desserts, cakes and pastries, supported by a local producers’ market, hosted by TV presenter and wine expert Olly Smith, who has also written the foreword to the Festival programme.

Olly writes: “This is my fourth year appearing at The Hampshire Food Festival…With the superb quality and range in Hampshire, it’s a leading light on the British food scene and I can’t think of a better way to spend July than diving in to celebrate the fun and excellence of The Hampshire Food Festival”.

Organised by county food group Hampshire Fare and backed by Hampshire County Council, the award-winning Hampshire Food Festival is in its 12th year and last year attracted over 221,000 visitors.

Many events, which are all held at numerous different locations across Hampshire, are free or low-cost, and there is plenty for adults, children and families.

Details of all events will be added to this website in April or you can call 01962 846509 for a free Festival programme to be posted to you in May.

The programme also includes details of how to enter Festival free prize draws to win a luxury overnight spa break at the 5* Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, an indulgent foodies weekend break at 4* Audleys Wood Hotel courtesy of Ecover and a Southern Co-operative Local Flavours hamper worth over £100!

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