The final countdown to Saturday’s seventh Burnham-On-Sea Food and Drink Festival is underway.
The autumn festival – which has a harvest theme – will see around 100 stalls set up around Burnham town centre in streets and venues selling a wide range of food and drink.
The event will also see the return of the Great Burnham Bake-Off baking competition, demo chefs, plus competitions and children’s entertainment.
The organisers, Bev and Sarah Milner Simonds, said Saturday’s festival will be the biggest yet, running from 9am until 4pm.
The Great Burnham Bake Off will will see several new categories being introduced for budding bakers.
The Great Burnham Bake Off will also make a popular return – not only looking for the best cakes and bread,. but the best Christmas Cake from professional bakers.
Organiser Bev Milner Simonds said: “The Technical Challenge last time was searching for meringues, this time we want three matching shortcut sausage rolls. We are also embracing the harvest time with a search for carrot cake and Christmas cakes. We are also asking bakers if they are happy to share their bakes with the other bakers.”
Bakers can download entry forms and rules here and present a completed form and their bake before 2pm on Saturday at Somerset Skills & Learning in Burnham’s Princess Street.
Several local chefs will also be demonstrating their expertise during the day. Festival Director Sarah Milner Simonds told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We have three more cracking chefs cooking up great demos with very different styles. First up at 12 noon will be CookAbility Cookery School founder Venetia Cameron-Rose. CookAbility is a local cookery school based in Taunton with cookery courses to suit all ages and abilities.”
Venetia caught the festival’s eye with her cookery courses aimed at younger, aspiring cooks. Venetia has developed a keen interest in cooking for those with dietary requirements looking and testing recipes that all can enjoy. She also has a passion for bringing the joy of cooking to all for pleasure and health.
Venetia said: “Recipes like my blackbean brownies have been very popular, especially my young grandsons. It’s great to find a sweet treat that is healthy for us. I am very excited about being part of the festival and hope I can introduce a few new recipes to the audiences.”
Then at 1pm, Bini Ludlow, right, takes to the stage. Bini is the founder of Sweet Cumin, an authentic Indian cookery school nestled in the Somerset countryside.
In the South West she is a regular contributor to the local food scene, speaking and attending at food festivals throughout the UK.
She’s also a blogger for the Huffington Post, bylining regular guest columns and appearing on a number of television food programmes.
Bini said: “I will be cooking up some delicious Indian treats using ingredients from the festival – all will be easy to replicate at home and I hope to introduce some new flavours to the visitors.”
The festival has also announced that Great Burnham Bake Off winners Nigel and Pat Smith will be demonstrating on the KDS Fresh ideas Stage at 2pm.
Nigel Smith, a teacher at Churchill’s Academy and a popular local baker, will be sharing the secrets of his award wining sourdough bread, aided and abetted by his son, Patrick.”
Nigel, pictured with Patrick, said: “We will be showing how easy it is to make sourdough artisan loaves at home. Try this method and you will produce bread packed with flavour and character.”
“Both Pat and I were delighted to be asked to do a demonstration at the Burnham Food and Drink Festival. We have been going to the event since it started and we love the buzz that it creates around the town. Being involved directly is very exciting.”
Festival organiser Sarah Milner Simonds explained the thoughts behind this season’s chef choices.
“We have brought together three popular local cooking talents on the stage this October, each bringing something we know our audiences enjoy. We have Bini’s spicy Indian flavours; Venetia’s cookery aimed at those who are just starting or who want to cook exciting food that caters for dietary requirments and Nigel & Pat with their ‘Doh! Sourdough’ demo. All the chefs we have picked are skilled at sharing their tips, techniques and ideas and encouraging our audiences to have a go for themselves.”
Sarah added that all the demos will offer samples to taste afterwards. The Burnham on Sea Food & Drink Festival is on Saturday 31st October in the town centre and runs from 9am. The KDS Demo Stage opens at 12pm. No tickets are required and seating (and samples) are on a first-come-first-served basis.
