THIS year marks the 20th edition of the Abergavenny Food Festival and organisers have announced that this September’s festival, which takes place on September 15-16 from will see some of the UK’s progressive chefs, food producers, farmers, cooks, and campaigners invited to join the celebration, showcasing the very best of British food and drink.

Appearing over the weekend will be chef and author José Pizarro, chef Jack Stein, restaurant critic and broadcaster Grace Dent, Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt, award-winning BBQ experts Hang Fire BBQ, London-based Ghanaian chef Zoe Adjonyoh, Observer Food Monthly Rising Star for 2018 Nargisse Benkabbou, chef and author Thom Eagle, best-selling food writer, cook and stylist Anna Jones, James Whetlor of the award-winning Cabrito Goat Meat and River Cottage chef Gill Meller. The full programme line up for the festival will be announced in June.

‘Morning Meditation’ will take place with Observer Food Monthly editor Allan Jenkins in conversation about his new book, and the Borough Theatre will host a 100 Years of Women in Food event featuring Sybil Kapoor, Jane Baxter, Zoe Adjonyoh and others to be confirmed.

Aine Morris, CEO of Abergavenny Food Festival says of this year’s festival, “Abergavenny Food Festival is where people come to be inspired, hear new ideas and build relationships with others in food and farming. For our 20th edition, we have focused on profiling the incredible talent that exists across Wales and the entire British Isles.”

“We will be profiling exciting new food producers, meeting the chefs disrupting restaurant kitchens, looking back over 100 years of women in the kitchen, and exploring a whole range of ideas about how we build British food culture.”

“Abergavenny was founded by two farmers in 1999 as a direct response to the BSE crisis. 20 years on we will be asking what has changed, and what the future food production looks like in an uncertain climate.”

Day and weekend wristbands are on sale for this year’s festival now. Please check the abergavennyfoodfestival.com website for further details and to sign up to the festival newsletter to receive updates first.

New for this year’s 20th edition:

• Revamped demo stage in Abergavenny’s iconic Market Hall, which this year will host all chef demos free of charge

• Newly combined kids’ and adults’ cookery school at The Castle, sponsored by new partners River Cottage and Piper’s Farm

• Launch of a new festival site, which will be home to an expanded farmyard yard, feature a Welsh craft ale bar, and more activities for children and families.

Up at The Castle

The popular ‘Cooking Over Fire’ area will return to the town’s historic Castle featuring Hang Fire BBQ, who are currently appearing in their first TV series Sam and Shauna’s Big Cook-out on BBC Wales. DJ BBQ, along with Bristol’s Freddy Bird, food writer Genevieve Taylor, and others, will join them.

The Cookery School will run classes for both adults and kids featuring Israeli husband and wife duo Honey & Co and Jeremy Pang from School of Wok in London. Skye McAlpine will be cooking from her new book A Table in Venice and Katy Beskow will be tutoring an ‘accidentally vegan’ class.

The Dome will house thought-provoking debates and panel sessions in true Abergavenny style challenging the status quo, looking to our future food relationships and interrogating ideas on what we eat. The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Its Flavour with Jenny Linford, ‘Cooking With Your Senses’ with Sybil Kapoor, and seasonal eating with chef Thom Eagle are all on the agenda.

Chef demos

The new look Market Hall stage will be hosting all chef demos at the 2018 festival.

A weekend or day wristband gives visitors access to the Market Hall where they can catch home cooking inspiration from chefs such as Zoe Adjonyoh of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, Nargisse Benkabbou with recipes from her forthcoming book Casablanca, Stephen Harris and recipes from his award-winning book The Sportsman and voice of modern vegetarian cooking and author of A Modern Way to Eat Anna Jones. Representing Wales on the demo stage will be the likes of Michelin-starred chefs Gareth Ward from Ynyshir, James Sommerin from his eponymous restaurant in Penarth, and blogger and supper club chef Imran Nathoo.

Tutored Tasting sessions

Visitors will have an abundance of opportunities to get their tastebuds tingling. This year’s festival will introduce a programme of tutored tastings taking place in the Corn Exchange above the iconic Market Hall. Each tutored tasting will be presented by farmers and chefs, and aim to get people thinking about how different methods of food production affect taste and flavor. Topics being explored will include: mutton tasting with chef Cyrus Todiwala, a ’Got your Goat’ tasting with James Whetlor of the award-winning Cabrito Goat Meat, ‘Beef Over Time’ with farmer Tom Jones and seasonal fish with BBC Food & Farming Award winners The Seafood Shack.

Drinks’ Theatre

There will be sessions with top drinks experts in the festival Drinks’ Theatre from cocktails with drinks writers and spirit supremo’s Joel Harrison and Neil Ridley, drinks connoisseur Kate Hawkings on her new book ‘Aperitif: A spirited guide to the drinks, history and culture of the aperitif’ and cider tasting from new Herefordshire cider & orchard owners Little Pomona.

Masterclasses

Taking place in St Mary’s Priory Centre will be ticketed masterclasses on ‘Food for a Happy Gut’ with Naomi Devlin, ‘Blood and Black Pudding’ with author, cook and cookery teacher Kate Hill and James Swift from Trealy Farm Charcuterie, ‘Cooking with Beer’ with award-winning beer and food writer Melissa Cole, ‘Sherry and Tapas’ with Cardiff’s Bar 44/Asador 44 founder Owen Morgan, and a patisserie masterclass with Cocorico’s Laurian Veaudor.

Getting hands-on

For those with food and a bit of adventure in mind, chef, award winning author and food writer Gill Meller will be hosting a forage and campfire cooking event in the surrounding area, chef Matt Powell and Psychopomp gin mastermind Danny Walker will be taking a group foraging for gin botanicals, embark on an edible seafood forage with Henry Ashby, plus enjoy tours at White Castle Vineyard and Chase Distillery.

delicious. Produce Awards judging

The festival is honoured to have been selected as the host venue for the delicious. Produce awards 2018 Welsh regional judging. Commencing on Saturday September 15 at their judging trailer in Lower Brewery Yard, awards Ambassador Valentina Harris will ask questions of the judges in front of an open audience. On Sunday judging will be curated by Graham Smith at the Fisher & Paykel home appliance kitchen.

Wristband and ticket sales

Weekend and day wristbands giving access to all Producer Markets and free chef demos, with weekend/Saturday day wristbands providing access to Saturday Night Market, are on sale now via abergavennyfoodfestival.com.

Tickets will be sold separately for Borough Theatre, Masterclasses, Drinks Theatre, Tutored Tastings, Foraging Tours and off-site events and the cookery school.

The full line up for the festival will be announced and on sale in June.

Those with an NP7 postcode will receive 20% off the cost of their wristband available online now using the code LOCAL or in person from the Borough Theatre in Abergavenny in May. To qualify for the local discount, proof of address must be shown when buying in person at the Borough Theatre, or when online purchases are exchanged for wristbands during the festival.

There will also be a 15% discount available for groups of 10 or more. Please go to abergavennyfoodfestival.com for more details.

Abergavenny Food Festival is excited to welcome returning sponsors Chase Distillery, Riverford Organic Farmers, Triodos Bank, Belazu and Greenergy plus new additions River Cottage and Piper’s Farm.