Abergavenny Food Festival organisers are delighted to announce a collaboration with the BBC which will be at the Festival in September.

'The Food Programme' (Radio 4, hosted by Sheila Dillon) and 'This Natural Life' (Radio 4, hosted by Martha Kearney) will be recorded in the Octopus Books Dome at the Castle on the Saturday (21 September).

Additional BBC Radio output will be recorded and produced from the Festival for various channels, including Radio Cymru and Radio Wales.

Festival Director Lucie Parkin speaks for everyone involved: “On behalf of the team, our Board and the very special town of Abergavenny, I’d like to say how excited we are to be working together. BBC Audio has many superb programmes that tie in with our themes and ethos and we look forward to hosting some of them. This collaboration will enable elements of the content and spirit of the Festival to be shared to a wider audience.”

Colin Paterson, Head of BBC Audio Wales and the West of England said: “The combination of food, great speakers, a wonderful location and innovative content are fantastic ingredients for brilliant programmes. We’re really looking forward to bringing the best of the Festival to audiences across the UK in September.”

The 26th Abergavenny Food Festival will take place over the weekend of 21 and 22 September. It offers a great opportunity to meet growers, producers, exhibitors, writers, campaigners, chefs and cooks all in one place and it was recently announced that Octopus Publishing Group, an Hachette UK company was to be one of the major sponsors for this year.

“The Dome at Abergavenny Castle is central to the Festival and hosts a lively programme of talks and debates. This venue will become the Octopus Books Dome for the duration of the weekend. We have worked with Octopus Publishing Group for many years and are delighted to welcome them on board as official sponsor for this very special venue. The Octopus Books Dome is an arena for guest speakers to share their expertise and passion around food-related topical issues with an enthusiastic audience keen to engage. With Octopus Publishing Group as a key partner, we can continue to develop this important aspect of the Festival’s core programme,” said Lucie Parkin

Octopus authors appearing at the Festival in 2024 include Tom Parker Bowles discussing his book Cooking and the Crown (published by Aster on 26 September), Charlie Bigham and Amelia Christie-Miller on bringing their food brands to book form in Supper with Charlie Bigham (published by Mitchell Beazley on 12 September) and Bold Beans: Recipes to Get Your Pulse Racing (Kyle, already published), with further names to be announced.

Book-ish, shortlisted for ‘Independent Bookshop of the Year’ at the British Book Awards, will once again be the Festival’s official bookseller. Guest book-signings will take place in the Market Hall and at The Castle.

The following tickets are now on sale at www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com: ‘Strollers’ (which give access to six venues, over 180 exhibitors, demonstrations, talks and children’s activities), Party at The Castle, and Night Market. The full guest line-up will be announced by July 1 when tickets will also go on sale for Drinks Theatre tutored tastings, and Meet The Author sessions. All tickets are to be sold in advance.

Each year the event brings together the brightest and best through its evolving programme of chef demonstrations, talks and debates. Tickets are now on sale at www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com