Read All About It!

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

Events to look forward to include 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, and hosted by TV presenter and wine expert Olly Smith, who has also written the foreword to the Festival programme.

Details of all events are now online and the free printed programme will be widely available across Hampshire from mid-May. Alternatively call 01962 846509 for a free Festival programme to be posted to you.

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!

Subscribe to our newsletter with the latest local food news, including our free prize draws each month. 'Like' our Festival facebook page to keep up to date with Hampshire Food Festival news too.

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.

The Festival’s success was recognised with 'Highly Commended' for 'Tourism Event of the Year' at the 2011 Beautiful South Awards for Excellence organised by Tourism South East and a Gold at the same awards in 2011 for 'Flavours of the South East'. It was also South of England Enterprise winner in The 2010 Countryside Alliance Awards