- Bake Off winner Nadiya and Birmingham’s Michelin-starred and top chefs cooking in the Chefs Theatre
- A feast of flavours from around the world on the Street Food Avenue
- More award-winning producers than ever before
- Champagne, wine and craft beer masterclasses
- Giant Pimm’s Teapot and Mojito Ship
- New Bug-Eating competition and the famous Chilli-Eating Challenge
- Local bands competing to win the Unsigned Music Awards
Birmingham’s food-lovers can look forward to another taste-bud-tickling day out with friends and family next weekend as Foodies Festival returns, the UK’s biggest celebration of food & drink, returns to Cannon Hill Park for its second year 3rd to 5th June.
Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre
This year’s festival sees Birmingham’s culinary masters, Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and MasterChef winner Ping Coombes cooking live in the Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre, showcasing their skills, sharing insight into 2016’s food trends and answering questions from the audience. Chefs taking part include (more TBC):
- Nadiya Hussain – Great British Bake Off Winner 2015
- MasterChef winner Ping Coombes
- Richard Turner – Turners (Michelin starred)
- Brad Carter – Carters (Michelin starred)
- Nathan Eades – Simpsons (Michelin starred)
- Tony Rodd – MasterChef Finalist 2015
- Andy Waters – Waters Restaurant
- Ben Tennent – Opus Restaurant
- Katy Beskow – Little Miss Meat Free
- James Wong – Chung Ying
- Nigel Brown – Celebrity Chef
- Dhruv Baker – MasterChef Winner 2010
Street Food Avenue
With flavours from all corners of the world available on the Street Food Avenue, hunger will be banished and taste buds tingled with the huge array of cuisines on offer. Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Argentinian, Turkish, Indian, Korean, Mexican, French and African are just some of the flavours to feast on this summer.
Artisan Producers Market
A glittering array of Great Taste Award winners are available to shop and sample from this year, each being hailed as a producer of ‘Exquisite, Outstanding and Simply Delicious’ food and drink – a fantastic opportunity for visitors to meet artisan producers from the local area and across the country, learn their story and stock up on award winning produce. With over 120 stalls to peruse at each festival, selling everything from Seaweed Seasoning to Champagne Infused Fudge, visitors will be spoilt for choice for what to eat at the festival and take home to enjoy.
Drinks Theatre
Expert mixologists and sommeliers, including Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe, host champagne and wine masterclasses, and beer connoisseur and writer Melissa Cole is on-hand with craft beer tutorials.
Cake, Bake & Tasting Theatre and Vintage Tea Room
Bake-Off winner Nadiya joins baking extraordinaire Charlotte White and master chocolatier Fiona Sciolti on the Cake & Bake stage, working their baking wizardry to inspire visitors to reach for their whips and spatulas at home and create show-stopping cakes and delicious summer bakes. A neighbouring Chocolate, Cake and Bake Village sells freshly baked breads, sponges, tarts, jellies and trifles to enjoy with a bubble tea or fresh juice. Afternoon tea can be enjoyed in the beautifully decorated Vintage Tea Room, where teas, handmade cakes and scones with clotted cream and jam are served on china from a tea trolley by vintage styled tea ladies and gentlemen.
Into the Jungle
Festival goers can munch their way into the depths of the jungle this summer with a trip to the Vietnamese Street Food stand, where those with a taste for the exotic can indulge in insects, including grasshoppers, caterpillars, mealworms, beetles, scorpions, locus and ants. These tasty critters will also be sold in powder and flour form – a high source of protein – to bake, season and cook with. For those brave enough, there’s a daily Bush Tucker Trial on the Challenge Stage, where visitors compete against one another by eating jungle insects, from small ants to large juicy grubs, with the contestant eating the biggest and the most being crowned champion. Childrens Cookery School The Olympic theme continues into the Childrens Cookery School, where little foodies can decorate their very own gold medal with coloured icing, glitter and edible ribbon. Pizza and cupcake making classes also allow kids to explore their taste buds and learn basic cookery skills to practice at home. Chilli-Eating Challenge The famous Chilli-Eating Challenge continues in 2016, inviting fans of spice to beat an eye-watering 16 million scoville record set by Shahina Waseem last year. Participants start at the low end of the chilli spectrum by eating bell peppers, but things quickly get a lot hotter with Habanero, Scotch and Carolina Reaper (world’s hottest chilli) chillies being added to the menu. Those still standing are then inflicted to pure chilli extract, increasing in strength, until a winner is crowned.
Live Music and Pop-Up Bars
After a day of feasting and fun, visitors can relax and soak in the atmosphere with live music from award-winning local bands at the Unsigned Music Awards Stage and a glass of bubbly or refreshing cocktail from the Giant Pimm’s Teapot, double-decker BarBus or Mojito Galleon Ship.
