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Thursday 23 May 2013

Ottery Food+Families Festival


Ottery’s first food and drink festival

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A food and drink festival takes place in Ottery next weekend - Friday 31 May and Saturday 1 June - the first ever held in the town.
It is aimed at showcasing what Ottery has to offer and will involve all sorts of activities, including food tasting and live music.
The winner of the competition to find the most mouth-watering children’s recipe will be announced on Saturday morning.
The order of play is as follows:
- Friday 31 May 
Four course food safari
- Saturday 1 June
A food and drink street market in Mill Street, from 9.30 - 5pm
Sainsbury’s car park - in a large marquee is the children’s recipe winner announced, from 10am
Cookery demonstrations by a number of local chefs, supported by River Cottage
Fish auction, hosted by Ottery’s fishmonger, Simon
Entertainment in Batts Lane, including live music, children’s activities and street theatre, including morris dancing and Ottery’s silver band
Activities in the Institute, including cookery demonstrations by River Cottage, Tim Maddams, focusing on leftovers
Opportunity to sample local food in Ottery’s pubs and restaurants
There will be a “cook-off” between the Rusty Pig’s Robin Rea and Tim Maddams, in the Rusty Pig
- Sunday 2 June
Afternoon “Miss Marple” tea served in Ottery St Mary parish church
For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/otterystmaryfoodfamiliesfestival or contact info@mazzardfarm.com or call 01404 815492
It wasn’t that long ago that if you mentioned ‘Ottery St Mary’ and ‘Eating out’ in one sentence, with the exception of our two Indian restaurants, people would shake their heads. Pubs and restaurants came and went, and any attempt to bring a half decent eatery to Ottery seemed doomed from the outset. And to make matters worse, even buying fresh ingredients for a decent, healthy, home cooked meal was getting harder and harder, with a deli and the green grocers closing down, the farmers market going, and Sainsbury’s seemingly becoming the sole destination for anything related to buying food and drink.
Food & Families Festival
And yet, there were still individuals who - foolhardy as it seemed - were prepared to give it a go, seemingly against all odds. But how marvelously they did. Just look where we are now! New restaurants that opened actually seemed to be making a name for themselves, pubs are re-inventing themselves, a new green grocer opened shop, a fishmonger even. Indeed, if you want to go out for something to eat, or source fresh ingredients, Ottery is all of a sudden not such an unlikely place to go!
It is this we want to celebrate on May 31st / June 1st 2013 in the Ottery St Mary Food and Families Festival. And those businesses of course who - despite many challenges thrown at them - stuck with it, and who - together with the new ones - make Ottery the place it is: a healthy foundation from which hopefully more new and successful ventures are willing and able to prosper.
See it as a huge ‘open day’ for Food & Drink in Ottery. In next month’s Ottery Gazette we shall be telling you a little more about the exciting programme, but for now allow us to encourage everyone to mark the dates in their calendars. There will be a lot going on, involving the young as well as the not so young. Detailed plans are developing as we speak, and in next month’s Ottery Gazette we shall be telling you more. See you all on at the festival on May 31st / June 1st.
Want to get involved? E-mail 
info@mazzardfarm.com, or keep an eye on us on facebook: http//www.facebook.com/OtteryStMaryFoodFamiliesFestival 

Ottery St Mary Food & Families Festival - Saturday 1 June 2013

old watch housethe final logo-01We at Taste of the West are delighted to announce our involvement with the first ever Ottery St Mary Food & Families Festival. This is a true community event founded on help, advice and volunteers from throughout this popular East Devon town’s foodie neighbourhood.

The fun starts on the evening of 31st May with a special food trail throughout the town in the local pubs and restaurants and continues throughout Saturday 1st June with a market stall running the length of Mill Street, a cookery theatre, live music, beer (and cider) tent, children’s competitions and much more. There's even going to be a fish dancing competition! Dancing with fish? Dancing like a fish? More details soon!
There'll be cookery demonstrations in the pop-up kitchen featuring local chefs showcasing the very best way to use local ingredients. You can keep up with all the latest news and plans for the Festival on the Facebook page and follow the event on Twitter @OtteryFoodDrink.

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