York Food Festival returns this September with an impressive line-up

The annual York Food Festival returns to the city from 17th to 26th September 2021. The best of Yorkshire’s produce will be displayed on over 80 different stands in the city centre. The 10-day spectacle features events, demonstrations, live music, street food, produce stands, real ale, a York Gin bar and hands-on cookery workshops.

New for York Food Festival 2021 is the sheer diversity of support from collaborators including Museum Gardens, Castle Museum, York Minster & Theatre Royal.

York Minster will host the ‘Gin & Rum Festival‘ on Saturday 18th featuring over 120 top-class gins and rums to try. Danny Knight, events manager for York Minster commented that “York Minster is proud to welcome the Gin & Rum Festival, who are bringing good food, good drink and good times to the Minster!

The team works in beautiful buildings and cathedrals across the country, so we’re excited about opening our doors to this brilliant event for the first time.”

The Theatre Royal will present Yotam Ottolenghi on Tuesday 21st. Vicky Biles Director at York Theatre Royal said “York Theatre Royal is delighted to welcome Yotam Ottolenghi to York! It is an opportunity exclusive to York Food Festival to hear the tastes, ingredients and flavours that excite him and how he has created a career from cooking”.

In Parliament Street, there will be demonstrations from Great British Menu’s Steph Moon and Neil Bentinck owner of one of York’s best restaurants, Skosh.

Festival director of York Food Festival Michael Hjort added “Not only will we have our usual market in Parliament Street and St. Sampson’s Square but we will be running secondary sites ‘Hubs’ in the Museum Gardens and the Coppergate Centre. On these sites, there are free hands-on cookery workshops and a station for those taking part in our Taste Trail”.

The Taste Trail is ticketed tour of York where participants visit different businesses and receive a sample of food or drink from each one. The hubs will feature samples from businesses that can’t take in too many visitors due to size and/or COVID restrictions. “We didn’t want restrictions from stopping ticket holders from tasting the best of York.”

For free hands-on cookery workshops, York Food Festival’s ‘Food Factory’ is located at the Hubs and are suitable for all ages. This year’s workshops include chocolate work, curing & smoking your own foods, butter & cheese making, and pasta making.

There is a huge appetite for the Festival. There are a record 1200 primary school children already booked for cookery workshops midweek. Michael said “With the uncertainties surrounding all events we have been flooded with enquiries about whether we were going ahead or not. Well, thanks to the recent grant* we are and we can’t wait. The challenge to deliver a festival programme in half the usual time has been met!”

Details of the programme will continue to be added to the website www.yorkfoodfestival.com

*York Food Festival is in receipt of a government fund related to Covid recovery, distributed through a grant from the City Council.

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