THOUSANDS of foodies descended on the Pump Room Gardens for the annual Leamington Food and Drink Festival at the weekend.
Around 120 exhibitors served up everything from burgers, jerk chicken and pizzas to gyros, burritos, loaded hotdogs and curries. There was also every kind of drink imaginable from local beers, spirits, wines, cocktails, matcha smoothies, shakes, speciality coffees, soft drinks and more.
For those with a sweet tooth the choice was just as tempting – cakes, ice cream, brownies, doughnuts, cookies, churros and cannoli filled the stalls, alongside artisan produce such as chutneys, jams, cheeses, pies and freshly baked bread.
The family-friendly event, sponsored this year by Davidsons Law, also delivered a packed programme of live entertainment, demonstrations and hands-on fun!
Crowds at the Live Cookery Theatre enjoyed learning butchery skills with Russell Allen of Aubrey Allen, spice blending with Michael Price of Prices Spices, creative cooking tips from the fabulous Bia Rodrigues from Bia’s Kitchen Show, along with the culinary secrets of Michael Webber of Good Food Cartel, and authentic flavours from Rosa’s Thai.
The bandstand was buzzing and provided the festival soundtrack, featuring a wide mix of live music from the ever-popular Room 17, Abi Rowberry and Sam Lawrence, to the uplifting harmonies of the Big Sing Choir and the distinctive sounds of Sweet Mischief and Man Made Moon.
Children were also kept busy with fun, hands-on sessions at the Kid’s Cookery School, led by Anne Marie Lambert of Get Cooking! where budding young chefs could roll up their sleeves and get creative in the kitchen.
Adding to the fun Everyone Active brought along interactive activities, including a thrilling axe-throwing challenge and penalty shoot-out competitions, which proved to be a big hit with families throughout the weekend.
Festival organiser Alison Shaw, Project manager at BID Leamington, hailed the weekend as one of the best yet.
She said “Leamington Food and Drink Festival is wonderful event to organise, and delivers a fabulous weekend of food, drink and entertainment for all ages. We are hugely grateful to the local community for their support and wish to thank our traders, staff and wonderful volunteers who made our 18th annual festival such a success”.
The Leamington Food Festival will be back next year, until when visitors can continue to enjoy many of the traders in the town centre. Visit royal-leamington-spa.co.uk for a full listing and download the free ‘Love Leam App’ for loyalty offers, deals and trails.
