Foodies Festival comes to Clapham Common.

Foodies Festival – Clapham Common – Friday 7, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June 2013

Foodies Festival is delighted to bring the event to Clapham Common for the first time in 2013, a perfect new location for London’s foodies.  The UK’s largest celebration of food and drink will see visitors flock from the surrounding areas to feast on the vast array of culinary activities.  Foodies Festivals also take place at Brighton, Tatton Park in Cheshire, Hampton Court Palace, Bristol, Edinburgh, Battersea Park London and Oxford.

Top chefs, including Michelin-starred Clare Smyth of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Atul Kochar from Benares, Jun Tanaka of Pearl, Ed Baines of Randall & Aubin, Andy Cook from The Savoy Grill, Andrew McClay from Le Caprice, Marcus McGuiness from Claude Bosi’s Malt House, Michael Wignall from Latymer and Sean Burbridge from Petrus will cook their signature dishes live in the Chefs’ Theatre and explain how amateur cooks can prepare the same dishes at home.   The theatre will be compered by Shelina Permalloo, winner of Masterchef 2012, who said:  “I’m delighted to be hosting the chefs’ theatre at Clapham Foodies with fantastic chefs, innovative recipes and plenty of fun on stage.”

Jun Tunaka commented:  “I’m excited to be working with Discover the Origin at Foodies. I’ll be cooking some simple dishes that truly showcase the quality of Parma Ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano and how these can be used in innovative and appetizing ways.  Finding the right wine to pair with a great dish can be a daunting experience for many, so I’m also looking forward to suggesting some food and wine combinations.”

Marcus McGuiness said:  “Even though I’ve worked with Claude Bosi for so long, I still drag him over from Hibiscus to get a second opinion on anything new we do at The Malt House and I’m looking forward to sharing my dishes at Foodies in Clapham.  There are some great artisan producers, loads going on all day and you get up close and personal with producers and chefs. I’m just delighted to be involved this year.”

Now in its eighth year, Foodies Festival has introduced new features to all events in 2013.  These include a spectacular Cake and Bake Theatre in association with Electrolux incorporating a ‘bake-along’ with members of the audience invited to participate.  Doyenne of British sugarcraft, Lindy Smith, will demonstrate her unique, cutting-edge cake designs.  She commented:  “I’m passionate about sharing my sugarcraft skills and tips of the trade with both home and professional bakers. Creating beautifully decorated cakes that taste divine is not rocket science, and I look forward to sharing some easy and effective ways to decorate, cakes, cupcakes and cookies in the Bake and Cake Theatre at Foodies.”   Also demonstrating is Manisha Parmar of Great British Bake Off fame and there will be cupcake-decoration and sugar craft sessions with Icing Bliss as well as hands-on baking bread-making sessions.

2013 also sees the introduction of a dedicated Chocolate Theatre to showcase the world of chocolate and confectionary with daily demonstrations from David Greenwood-Haigh of Divine Chocolate.  Foodies are delighted to welcome Fiona Sciolti of Sciolti Chocolates to Clapham Common where she will extol the health benefits of chocolate and explain how her award-winning botanical chocolates are made using local fruits, flowers, teas, herbs, cream and honey.

Another new element for 2013 is certain to appeal to those who love al fresco dining.  A specially-designed BBQ arena, hosted by Napoleon Grills, will feature hourly BBQ classes and competitions for foodies to get involved in and learn how to get the most from cooking outdoors.

There is also a Wine Village, bringing together producers and wine regions from across the world including Shawbury Vintners, Vicomte de Romanet who will be running tasting sessions, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, Wines of Germany and Bergère, a new champagne brand.  The new market section Homeware Village offers visitors the chance to shop for kitchenware and gadgets.

In 2013, food-lovers can also enjoy the new dining and VIP area serving signature dishes from top local restaurants including pop-up versions of Ed Baines’ restaurant Randall & Aubin, Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa and Masala Zone, run by Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in the UK.   And there will be a new bar area with a countryside theme featuring hay bales and focusing on British cider and ale.  The bar bus, a converted open-topped double-decker bus, is a fun addition to the tent and pagoda bars on offer throughout the site.

Joining Foodies at Clapham Common is the Dorset Cider House who produce traditional bubbly and still cider from a west Dorset orchard and are part of a British cider revival.  They will also be serving a range of craft beers and cocktails using Somerset spirits along with Dorset Cheddar.  Matt Ince of Dorset Cider House said: “You will find us in our sixty year old canvas tent, with cider barrels, hand pull pumps and straw bales en masse.  For entertainment certain members of our team are skilled in puppetry and poetry while records can always be heard in one form or other.”

These new elements complement Foodies’ existing features including the Drinks Theatre where regular classes and demonstrations are given by some of the most talented sommeliers and mixologists and drink experts in the UK.  This theatre allows visitors to be amongst some of the first people in the UK to sample 100s of products as well as brush up on their knowledge at the daily wine, ales and spirits masterclasses with experts including TV’s Charles Metcalfe and beer blacksmith Melissa Cole.  This year there will also be a Cocktail Theatre where top mixologists will demonstrate their skills with hands-on classes.  On Friday 7 June, TV’s Oz Clark will be in the Drinks Theatre presenting a wine-tasting class with Discover the Origin.

Melissa Cole commented:  “I’m coming back for more at this year’s Foodies Festivals because last year’s audiences were so much fun!  You know how at some food events you feel like if you don’t know your nduja from your Nutella you’re frowned upon?  Well it’s not like that at any of these events and I just love watching people’s faces as they embrace new taste and flavour experiences, I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

The extensive Producers’ Market sells a vast array of artisan produce from the local area and incorporates the Guild of Fine Food award-winning British produce.  Launching at Foodies in 2013 is Pinkster Gin, a raspberry-infused botanical premium gin.  It will be available by the glass or bottle exclusively at Foodies, before rolling out in bespoke bars and retailers across the UK.

Foodies will be showcasing local producers at Clapham Common including Pasta Remoli who will be selling hand-made fresh pasta and sauces ready-to-eat or to take home, all made using Italian ingredients;  London Tea who are bringing their award-winning selection of organic hand-picked, ethical teas which are made using traditional manufacturing methods and come in biodegradable boxes and pouches; and the Mannings Juice Shack which will be proudly flying the British flag, serving fresh fruit juices made using their own apples.  James Manning said:  “Ever since our first glass of juice we have worked really hard to share the wonderful taste and we’re excited to be taking part in Foodies again this year.  We can’t wait to spread the love at Foodies Clapham Common.”

Last year saw the successful introduction of Street Food Avenue to all Foodies events.  In 2013 the Clapham Common crowds can again enjoy the huge selection of ready-to-eat hot and cold food from around the world including hog roasts, exotic meats, tapas, churros, burritos, Moroccan tagines, South American prime beef, sausages, pizza, Jamaican and Thai street food.

The Children’s Cookery Theatre at Clapham Common will be operated by local cook school Funky Lunch, famous for their unusual sandwich creations, award-winning recipe books and unique approach to food education.  Founder and sandwich-maker extraordinaire, Mark Northeast will lead these fun-filled workshops which will allow children to get hands-on cutting, baking and tasting.

Relaxation in 2013 comes in the form of a City Beach where families can chill out on deckchairs with an artisan ice-cream or an afternoon tea whilst children build sandcastles.  Various specialist tea, coffee and fresh juice vendors can be found around the site.

The entertainment stage features live music acts including Gloria Miller performing every day until the later closing time this year of 8pm.

See you there!