24/08/2010

 Issued by Food and Drink Festival

Meet the Yorkshire Food Heroes

The Festival has worked with Yorkshire's National Parks, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and National Trust to create a programme that promotes sustainable producers; especially those whose work help to maintain traditional landscapes.  We are delighted to offer visitors a succession of distinct, often unique, opportunities to meet a range of Yorkshire Food Heroes.

Collaborative stands: This year, in the Festival markets, small groups of farmers from specific areas of Yorkshire will share collaborative stands to sell each others produce, in a way that none could manage alone. These arrangements have been developed by the Festival team as a new innovation.  Stand-holders include:

• The Southern Dales: Robert Phillip of Hellifield Beef (Robert's Highland cattle play and important role maintaining the flora of Yorkshire's Limestone landscape).  The Blue Pig Company outdoor pork and home produced cured pork from Mearbeck Farm. Award winning Granola from Yockenthwaite Farm and Quay spices.
• The Yorkshire Moors A second group led by Philip Trevelyan - Organic Miller, with producers from the North Yorkshire Moors Shearling project (heather raised young mutton), Newlands Organics, Farmed Trout from Yoadwath Mill, along with their smoked products.

Food and Drink Festival Market

Everyday in Parliament St

There are over 80 stand-holders everyday. Below are some of the Farmers/ Producers that you can meet:

• Beez Neez Apiary,  Bracken Hill Fine Foods, Brunswick Organic Nursery, Calderdale Cheese Company, E & E. G. Bullivant & Daughters, Epicure's Larder, Lacey's Cheese, Lottie Shaw's Yorkshire Parkin, Richmond Brewing Company, Round Green Venison., Sloemotion, Voakes Pies, Whitby Seafood, Yorkshire Chillis, Ye Olde Pie & Sausage Shop, Yorkshire Wolds Apples.

Daily Slow Food Taste Workshop

Melton's Too, Walmgate

4:00 PM

Example (19^th): James Wright of Taste Tradition will prove that rare breed pork tastes better than commercially farmed meat in this  comparative taste workshop, in association with Slow Food North Yorkshire.

Stephanie Moon's Yorkshire Produce Dinner at the Mansion House

Mansion House (St Helen's Square)

 21 September

 7:30 PM

Enjoy an intimate  'Black Tie'  dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor.  The menu of Yorkshire produce (largely from the Dales) is cooked by Rudding Park's Chef, Stephanie Moon.  Also attending is  Yorkshire Food Hero, Nigel Sampson of Holme Farm Venison, who will be supplying the Venison.

Whitby Regional Produce Dinner

Mansion House (St Helen's Square)

 22 September

 7:30 PM

A Second chef-led Dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor (see above) Mike Hoggan, of the meal Whitby Crab Company, will be the principle guest and Rob Green (Greens of Whitby), with a menu that focuses on Whitby fish.

Yorkshire Food Heroes: Suppliers and Chefs Together

The Guildhall (off St Helen's Square)

 20 September

 11:00 AM

Enjoy a series of 4 Demonstrations, each involving a Local Food Hero accompanied by leading regional chefs including Michelin Chefs Andrew Pern of the Star Inn, and James McKenzie of the Pipe and Glass.  Additional producers have stands around the Guildhall  including: Taste Tradition (Rare Breed Meats), Moorland Shearling, Yorkshire Organic Millers and Lowna Dairy.

Fish Workshop (with Andrew Wood of York University)

The Guildhall (off St Helen's Square)

 19 September

 2:00 PM

The Festival creates a Café by enclosing the City's centres fountain within a large marquee, in Parliament Street. 

Each evening this Café hosts an informal themed 'drop-in' event, with food to compliment the theme.

The Fountain Café is surrounded by late opening market stands, our Festival Beer Tent, and our Grazing Café (see below) and Demonstration Area.  All of these will provide a vibrant atmosphere to the evening programme.

Fountain Café Evenings

The Fountain Café, Parliament Street

 17^th-25^th September from 5:00 PM

Three examples of the themes:

Eat the Landscape (18th) is a night dedicated to the fine balance of Yorkshire produce and the landscapes. Taste a rare-breed BBQ. Learn about the link between preservation and sustainability. Discover the different landscapes and the breadth of food and resources cultivated from each. Love Food Hate Waste and the National Farmers Union will also help to promote sustainability.

Harvest The Garden (23rd) is a night to sample the spoils of your own gardens. Tips on how to ‘grow your own' in the space you've got, composting advice and preserving fruit and vegetables will all be a part of this evening's programme.

Grazing Café

Parliament St

 17th to 26th September 12:00 AM

Another Café created by the Festival.  This Café showcases York's independent food retailers. Visitors can order grazing plates of deli items, across a range of different continental, Yorkshire and ethnic foods. The standard grazing plate  is designed as a snack but can be extended into lunch or supper.

Yorkshire Beer Tent

Parliament St

17th to 26th September

Situated in at the heart of the Festival.  The tent stocks a range of 7 Yorkshire Real Ales, which change during the week, as well as Wines, Cider, Soft Drinks and Lager. The Festival Ale Trail starts in the Beer tent.  

Join Yorkshire Food Hero (supplier) Richard Fowler, of Burnholme Fisheries and (Chef) Andrew Wood of the University of York to learn how to prepare a round white fish, a flat fish and dress a crab. Includes all the fish, which you can then take home prepared and ready for your dinner!

The Chocolate Programme

This year we are celebrating York's chocolaty connections, its history and traditions. As well as modern inventive chocolatiers. Join us to taste and learn more about some of the many uses and applications of chocolate.

This year, there is a series of events around the novel 'Chocolat', including a visit by the Author Joanna Harris (on Tuesday 21st September) and a daily chocolate demonstration.

Chocolate Evening

The Guildhall (off St Helen's Square)

 17 September

 7:00 PM

A diverse and interactive evening includes a wine and chocolate tasting session, a ‘make your own' chocolates workshop, savoury chocolate cookery demonstration and much more.

Daily Chocolate Demonstration

The Demonstration Tent, St Sampson's Square.

 5:00 PM

Learn about chocolate and beer matching, the history of drinking chocolate and using unusual local produce to flavour chocolates. Watch restaurant chefs create complex desserts and using chocolate as a savoury ingredient. Join a comparative FairTrade chocolate tasting.

The Chocolate Market

The Fountain Café, Parliament Street

 21 September

 From 9:00 AM

Artisan chocolate makers take stands at the centre of the Festival's market, around the Fountain in Parliament Street.  Stand-holders include local chocolatier Sophie Jewett who is winning a reputation for highly original chocolate fillings including York Ale, Local Honey and Yorkshire Blue Cheese.

Death by Chocolate

Fairfax House, Castlegate

18 September

7:00 PM

Join Ivan Day, world famous food historian, for a mouth-watering introduction to the history of chocolate.  Includes coffee and chocolate tastings.

The Festival's more formal evening programme, includes banquets, tutored tastings and lectures, in York's unique historic venues. These include the 15^th Century Guildhall and the 18^th Century Mansion House, still the home of the City's Lord Mayor.

Coffee, tea and chemistry: the amazing science in a cuppa.

The Guildhall (off St Helen's Square)

 22 September

 7:30 PM

Professor Paul Walton, of the Univeristy of York, returns to explain all in his inimitable and amusing style.

Historic Dinner: Dining through the Ages

Mansion House (St Helen's Square)

 17 September

 7:30 PM

Peter Brears, the renowned food Historian will talk you through the ages.  Have your Medieval starter at York's 15^th Century Barley Hall, then move on to the Mansion House for a Georgian main course and Victorian dessert.

Ice Cream Feast!

Middlethorpe Hall

19 September

3:00 PM

Ivan Day explores the art of ice cream making in the 18th and 19th centuries, creating unusual taste sensations in their original exotic shapes. Taste some of the unusual flavours enjoyed by the Georgians including musk, parmesan cheese and burnt ice cream. Includes afternoon tea.

Gurkha Curry
The Guildhall (off St Helen's Square)

 20 September

 7:30 PM

Most Tele-visual Events

Speed Debating (17^th) from 7pm

This food issues discussion evening.  Will allow interviews with the various participants of diverse political food views, and is different relative to other Festival events.

Historic Dinner: Dining through the Ages

Mansion House (St Helen's Square)

 17 September

 7:30 PM

Same night as Speed Debating - customers moving between highly distinctive historic venues, plus food historian with TV track record

Ice Cream Feast!

Middlethorpe Hall

19 September

3:00 PM

Another historic venue, another food historian but this will show ice-cream making the traditional way; cranking a churn with lots of salt and ice.  Customer reaction to musk and parmesan ice-cream

Fish Workshop (with Andrew Wood of York University)

The Guildhall (off St Helen's Square)

 19 September

 2:00 PM

Hands on cookery class - public interaction.

Gurkha Curry
The Guildhall (off St Helen's Square)

 20 September

 7:30 PM

Gurkha's in uniform, historic venue, event has big following locally (waiting list for tickets)

Stephanie Moon's Yorkshire Produce Dinner at the Mansion House

Mansion House (St Helen's Square)

 21 September

 7:30 PM

Stephanie is assisted by students from Leeds City College, possible interviews with food producer, Nigel Sampson, Stephanie, and Lord Mayor.  Again top Historical attraction.

ENDS