Wales’ premier food and drink festival returns next month

Wales’ premier food and drink festival is back and bigger than ever.

A host of food producers will be taking part in the foodie gathering in the beautiful surrounds of Margam Park next month.

The Great British Food Festival will see food producers from across the region such as Gower Dough, who sell homemade pizzas from their unusual fleet of vehicles including a converted Bristol double decker bus and Neath-based Mel Y Gof who make their own honey. They will be there alongside the Artisan Market – where you will also find vegan and gluten-free treats amongst the many stalls.

Ade Bowen of Mel Y Gof was a blacksmith who spent 40 years shoeing horses. For the last 20 years he has been keeping bees. He has four apiaries in the Gower and around Swansea and one, located in Margam Park.

Ade says: “I’ll be setting up an observation hive at the Great British Food Festival which has two brood frames and two honey frames. People will be able to see the workers and Queen. We will also have a few jars of honey for sale and some homemade beeswax candles.”

Ruby the pizza bus has become a familiar site at Margam Park and the team from Gower Dough will be serving their fresh wood fired pizzas.

Chef demonstrations will include Thomas Leatherbarrow, who has worked globally with names including Jason Atherton and Gordon Ramsey. Merrick Webber will also be bringing his skills to the table. Merrick is currently head chef at Stables in Somerset.

Marni Xuto grew up in the heart of Bangkok and her beautifully balanced recipes celebrate Thai flavour. Marni is a recipe developer for many brands and runs cookery courses as well as setting up her own Thai food website. Marni will be hosting the chefs on the Cobra stage where she will be interviewing them, making sure there are lots of delicious samples for people to try and keeping everything fun.

Marni says: “I have worked in partnership with brands and developed recipes for BBC Food and BBC Good Food.

“This is my third year at the Great British Food Festival and I’m excited to host Cobra stage. Margam Park is such as fantastic setting. Visitors get to experience high quality food and drink in one of the most beautiful country house estates in Wales.

“I am hoping to demonstrate two dishes. Weeping Tiger is a prime fillet steak carefully cooked and served with a unique Thai dressing called Jim Jeaw. And Prawn Kra Prow which is fresh prawns stir fried with Thai holy basil and chillies. Delicious!

“I want people to understand that Thai food is easy, and you just need a few store cupboard essentials, such as Thai fish sauce, good quality coconut milk and oyster sauce.”

The food and drink event established over ten years ago by the Maycock family, has gone from strength to strength, with more and more chefs and producers coming on board.

The Cheese Collective will be sharing their knowledge of artisan cheeses. Set up by Sam and Shivali Elsdon during the pandemic, in response to cheesemakers forced to pour hundreds of litres of milk down the drain and even give cheese away for free after losing huge proportions of their business overnight when the hospitality sector closed. This, alongside the huge decline in donations to food banks at this time, when people needed support the most, spurred them to do something.

They set up the Cheese Collective finding the best cheeses and delivering them freshly cut and chilled to your door the next day. For every cheese box bought, they donate a meal to a food bank through the charity The Trussell Trust.

Organisers say the festival is a great way to spend a relaxing day out with friends and family where you can take your taste buds on a culinary adventure trying new global cuisine from the incredible array of street food stalls.

There’s plenty of space with acres of formal gardens, one of the finest in Europe. Margam Park near Port Talbot is set in 1000 acres of parkland, where beautiful landscapes, history and wildlife meet.

Janine Maycock, one of the co-founders of the Great British Food Festival, said: “The festival aims to bring people together through a shared love of food and offers a range of activities including the Chilli Challenge, Sausage & Cider Challenge, Kids’ Cookery, Cake-Off, Foraging Walks, and more. With plenty of bars, a local crafts and gift marquee and a vast artisan market of over 40 stalls showcasing the best local produce, visitors are in for a treat.”

Live music will be performed throughout the day from a diverse range of artists. There is a play area for families and the event is dog friendly.

Great British Food Festival Margam Park, Port Talbot, South Wales, SA 13 2TJ
Saturday September 7th 10am until 7.30pm
Sunday September 8th 10am until 5pm
Tickets are available HERE
Instagram @greatbritishfoodfestival