Hampshire Food Festival puts Basingstoke’s Top of the Town on the map

Basingstoke will be in the spotlight on Sunday 2 August when it hosts ‘Taste at the Top of the Town’ – a free food inspired event funded by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council that is part of Hampshire Fare’s 15th annual county food festival.

On Sunday 2 August from 10am, Market Place, Wote Street and London Street will take centre stage for food lovers as regional and local chefs come to town including award winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and James Durrant from the Good Food Guide’s ‘UK Pub of the Year’, The Plough at Longparish.

Demonstrating how to cook Hampshire’s finest produce in a live food theatre, the chefs will be joined by regional food stalls and live music from The London Vegetable Orchestra courtesy of Hampshire Cultural Trust. There will also be discounts on offer from Top of the Town restaurants and bars with a food trail and a chance to see traders from the area take part in their first omelette challenge.

Following the success of the Easter ‘Chocolate Factory’ themed weekend, the event is the latest to be commissioned by the council as part of the Basingstoke Town Centre Programme. It is being organised by a joint consortium of Proteus Theatre Company, Big Adventures event management and Starfish Design and Marketing.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration Cllr Terri Reid, who leads the Basingstoke Town Centre Programme, said: “It is fantastic to be one of the 75 events taking place across the county as part of this year’s Hampshire Food Festival.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to attract more people to the area and show them what we have to offer. There will be something for all taste buds to enjoy so come along and sample Hampshire Fare at the Top of the Town.”

For more information on the event, visit www.topofthetown.org