9.30am UK Chilli Cook Off Starts on Princess Street
11am Food Festival Local Food Heroes awarded (various locations)
12pm Maia English on the KDS Fresh Ideas Stage
1pm Barry Lewis on the KDS Fresh Ideas Stage
1.30pm Judging for UK Chilli Cook Off People’s choice judging starts – in aid of Highbridge Foodbank & the Coastguard Association
2pm Andy Chan on the KDS Fresh Ideas Stage
2pm Entries close for The Great Burnham Bake Off – Somerset Skills & Learning
2.30pm Entries close for The Great Burnham Brew Off in The Princess Theatre
3pm Kieran Lenihan & Heavenly Hedgerows on the KDS Fresh Ideas Stage
3.30pm The Great Burnham Brew Off Champion Brewer announced (Princess Theatre)
4pm Venues close
4.30pm The Great Burnham Bake Off Champion Baker announced with Glenn Cosby (Somerset Skills & Learning)
Crowds of visitors are expected to flock into Burnham-On-Sea today (Saturday) for the town’s Spring Food and Drink Festival.
The celebration of locally-produced food and drink will see many of the region’s best brewers and food producers taking part.
Over 80 stallholders and chefs from across Somerset will be offering tastings and samples in Victoria Street, College Street and Princess Street with opportunities to hear about the stories behind products.
Over half the stalls are indoors at the Baptist Hall, Methodist Church and Princess Theatre, so any wet weather will not impact today’s event.
The festival takes place from 9am-4pm and will also see many chefs and experts demonstrating their skills, offering healthy-eating advice.
Visitors will also be able to claim a free stick of rock from Burnham’s Sweet Shack as they enter the Methodist Church in College Street from 9am. Festival marshals will be giving away 500 to visitors. One per person, while stocks last.
Glenn Cosby, a contestant from the BBC’s ‘Great British Bake Off 2013’, pictured, will be the star judge of ‘The Great Burnham Bake Off’, the town’s popular baking contest.
“All ambitious bakers have to do is to bring their bakes and a completed entry form to the home of the Great Burnham Bake Off at Somerset Skills & Learning in Princess Street before 2pm,” said Festival Director Beverley Milner Simonds.
The festival will also include the Burnham Brew Off and a Chilli Cook-Off which will include the south west heats of The UK Chilli Cook-Off.
“All the cooking demos will be held in Burnham’s Baptist Church in College Street on the KDS Fresh Ideas Stage which will start at 12 noon. We have four chefs and first up is Maia English,” Beverley told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“With Maia we are shining our spotlight on another young talent. At 16 she has just been offered an apprenticeship at the Michellin-starred Gidleigh Park. She will be working with double Somerset Life Food Awards winner Seafoods on the High Street to cook her award-winning dish of caramelized Brixham scallops with celeriac purée and crispy pancetta.”
Next up at 1pm will be Barry Lewis (pictured right). “Barry is a YouTube sensation, having filmed himself learning to cook, now with over 68,000 subscriber fans he has his first cookbook out called Dinners On and is on a mission with his mate Jamie Oliver to get us all cooking.”
“Then at 2pm, Burnham resident Andy Chan will take to the stage. Andy is the sous chef at The Castle in Thornbury and winner of the South West Chef of the Year professional cooking competition. Andy will be showing how fine dining presentation doesn’t need to compromise on taste.”
Beverley added: “At 2pm, the stars are Kieran Lenihan, the Head Chef from Farrells Restaurant, and Chris Westgate, who is a forager and the person behind Heavenly Hedgerows. They will be cooking four simple dishes which are easy to create at home. Each dish will contain foraged greens. They are hoping to convince you that you can substitute everyday greens with weeds from your garden – which for us would mean very full dinner plates!”
Beverley added that visitors will be able to sample each food afterwards. The KDS Demo Stage opens at 12 noon. No tickets are required and seating are on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Excitement is growing for what promises to be a superb event,” Festival Director Sarah Milner Simonds told Burnham-On-Sea.com. “There will be lots to see and do throughout the day, whatever the weather.”
Burnham Mayor Cllr Martin Cox, pictured right with Bev and Sarah, added: “I’m delighted that the festival is returning again this Saturday with more attractions and stalls than ever before – I intend to be there for the whole day!”
Entry to the festival will be free. Several roads in the town centre will be closed during the day with diversions in operation. Road closure barriers will be in place, with signage and marshals to help visitors. All closures are 7am to 7pm.
The roads closed are Victoria Street between the junction with Princess Street and junction with College Street (William Hill/Saxons to Bloom/Saxons); Princess Street between the junction with Victoria Street and the access road to the Princess Theatre car park (Victoria Hotel to Library); College Street between Oxford Street and High Street (Road between Esso and Lidl to Railway pub/Lloyds). Additionally, Victoria Street will be closed between the Victoria Hotel and The Ritz will be access only and parking bays will be suspended.
