Bury’s first Food and Drink Festival is proving to be a treat for the tastebuds, and if the proof of the pudding was in the eating, then it certainly cut the mustard.
The fact that so many store holders travelled to be there suggested a healthy appetite for the Bury Council-organised event.
Take Tiago Goulart, for instance.
He brought his Plantugese produce all the way up from Brighton.
“We are the UK’s first fully vegan Portuguese food, and we specialise in traditional dishes that can be consumed by everyone,” he explained.
Those who associate Portugal with chicken piri piri were not disappointed as a vegan version of the ubiquitous dish was on the menu, using spiced soya.
“Food festivals such as this are important to towns. Having the opportunity to try street food is a new and enjoyable experience for people. It also gives a boost to small businesses and enables them to get their name and their products known,” said Tiago.
Clitheroe-based Matthew Whewell had no hesitation in bringing his Love is Churros to town when he learned of the festival.
“A lot of people make churros from packet mix, but we import all our ingredients from Spain, which is the home of the churros, so you couldn’t get any more authentic.”
Even the churros-making equipment was bought in Spain, when Matthew spent time training in the country.
The three-day festival began on Thursday, May 23, with stalls at Kay Gardens, the Sir Robert Peel Statue, The Rock, the Golden Mile and Georgiana Block in Bury Market.
@theburytimes Bury’s first Food and Drink Festival is well underway and we went down to speak to some of the stallholders… #theburytimes #bury #buryfoodanddrinkfestival ♬ original sound - The Bury Times
In addition to food and drink, visitors enjoyed craft stalls, music and live entertainment.
Whitefield foodie Gemma McGraw, was absolutely delighted that her partner, John Acton, booked the day off work and surprised her and their daughter, Katie, with a trip to the festival.
“Everything looks really good but I’m going to have a look around first before buying,” said the discerning Gemma.
“Things like this get everyone out and socializing. It’s something a bit different. Hopefully, it will become an annual event.”
International cuisine featured heavily in the festival and Wilson Hung, was pleased he was able to bring a taste of Hong Kong to his home town.
Ngwafu Tansie, of Gwafuvegan, said: “I think it’s very important for towns to do food festivals and it’s great for independent businesses.”
Ngwafu specializes in West African food, and her most popular dish is puff puff – a savoury doughnut similar to Yorkshire pudding – best enjoyed by dipping it into beans.
One of the plusses of the food festival is that it allows customers to obtain things that they don’t find in high street supermarkets.
For instance, as a refreshing change from strawberry jam, customers could stock up on courgette jam, carrot jam and pineapple jam at Charmaine and Shaun Nash’s Lancashire Wellness Kitchen.
“We’ve tried to go for more unusual combinations of ingredients, and we also make our own chutneys,” said Charmaine.
“Food festivals bring more people to the area and help businesses grow. There’s already a lovely community developing among the stallholders.”
Helen Oakes was selling vegan, allergen-free naturally flavoured liquors and viewed the festival as a brilliant showcase for the O’Connell Moonshine drinks.
“You’re not going to get these in the shops and another good thing about selling through festivals is that customers can actually sample or product.”
The festival continues today until 4.30pm and will be on from 9am to 4.30pm tomorrow
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