Harrogate Food and Drink Festival 2019 

I had the pleasure of attending the 2019 Harrogate Food and Drink Festival held at Ripley Castle over the bank holiday weekend. 

The Festival was organised by Yorkshire Food Guide and other Harrogate businesses to showcase local talent and raise money for the charity Mind in Harrogate and District.  The location was stunning, and the weather couldn’t have been better, with glorious sunshine and a slight breeze.  I attended with a friend on the first day, arriving early and keen to get stuck in and make the most of the occasion.  

On arrival we were instantly ravenous.  Our stomachs were growling as we wandered around the Festival grounds and took in all the delicious smells emanating out of the 20+ food trucks.  There were so many trucks to choose from, serving food from all corners of the world.  Vendors included: ‘Duke’s Pizza’ who were serving a range of homemade pizzas cooked to order; ‘The Mexican Pilgrim’ serving Mexican favourites like nachos and burritos; and ‘Luigi’s Street Food’ serving up classic dishes from Naples, including arancini and meatballs.   

We were drawn to YuDonut who were serving dim sum and donuts.  We hadn’t seen them before and were keen to try something new.  I asked the owners for their recommendations and opted for the vegan sharing platter which included gyozas, sweet seitan, crunchy vegetable spring rolls, salt and pepper fries topped with onions and a spicy salad.  We both loved every morsel and finished the meal feeling satisfied.   

After lunch, we relaxed in the sun on the Festival deck chairs, listening to the sounds of local artists, Will Forrester (a Jazz saxophonist) and Ben Jordan (a young singer-songwriter) and absolutely loved it.  The music was amazing, and the sun just made things even more enjoyable.  

We could have stayed right where we were, but we both wanted to experience the rest of the Festival so went in search of the cookery theatre.  We arrived at the cooking tent just in time to see Brett Lee, director and head chef at Stuzzi, host his pasta-making masterclass.  Although warm in the tent, it was packed with people eager to learn. Brett talked us through the makings of blue cheese stuffed Carmelita pasta, which will be on the menu at Stuzzi soon.  I enjoyed learning some of the tricks of the trade and was amazed at how good the final dish looked and tasted.   

To cool down post masterclass, I bought a refreshing drink from the Festival bar and my friend treated herself to an ice cream from the Mr Whippy ice cream van. We soon felt cool enough to head back to the deck chairs to relax in the sun and listen to more of the music, tapping along to the folk sounds of guitarist David Swann who was keen to get the audience involved.   

Just before leaving, we perused the artisan produce and craft market in search of gifts and nibbles for the rest of the bank holiday weekend.  The tent was very busy, which was a little uncomfortable in the heat and could have led to the spoilage of some of the products.  Perhaps splitting the market into two – one with food and one with crafts, could solve this issue for next year’s event.  Despite the number of people in the tent, we enjoyed wandering around the stalls, tasting homemade jams, vegan brownies, and cheese and pickle pork pies. We loved the variety of stalls and thought the market really did showcase some of the best craftspeople in the north.  

Overall, we had a fabulous day at the Harrogate Food and Drink Festival.  We thought the mix of food, drink and music was spot on.  The Festival space was ideal for families with lots of child friendly activities, but it was also ideal for couples and those attending alone thanks to the large Festival bar and abundance of seating.  We thought that the festival could have benefitted from a larger cooking tent as it was packed for the masterclasses, and felt that owing to the especially hot and sunny weather, additional shady spots would have gone down well.  However, we didn’t let this detract from this year’s event and we congratulate the organisers on a super successful Festival. We are already looking forward to next year! 

 

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