Thousands of visitors enjoyed three days of free culinary capers and one red-hot chilli showdown!
Foodies from across the region turned out in vast numbers to enjoy a large helping of celebrity and local chef demos, expert talks, pop-up dining experiences and a fantastic assortment of food and drink stalls, all served with a side of street entertainment and live music at Woking Food and Drink Festival 2019.
Located in Jubilee Square, the professional demo theatre hosted a smorgasbord of top culinary experts. The festival was delighted to welcome back, Sabrina Ghayour – the ‘golden girl of Persian cookery’ (The Observer).
Other famous faces included Surrey based Chris Bavin, co-presenter on BBC’s Eat Well For Less and Martha Collinson, Great British Bake Off quarter finalist, Waitrose food columnist and cookbook author.
Also joining the TV line-up was Laurence Henry, the reigning BBC MasterChef: The Professionals winner and Mark Tilling, chocolatier and winner of the first series of Bake Off Crème de la Crème.
The festival also showcased some of the region’s finest restaurants and chefs, including:
- Steve Drake, chef patron of Sorrel
- Tony Parkin, head chef for the Tudor Room at Great Fosters
- Rob Kennedy, executive head chef and food presenter
- Ben Piette, chef patron of London House restaurant
- Dan Britten, owner of Britten for Food private dining and supper clubs
- Jack Sturgess, owner of Bake with Jack
- Hersha Patel, host of YouTube channel, Cook with a Little Indian
- Richard Holden, BBQ chef and author
- Lorna Nanda Gangotra, owner of The Little Indian Kitchen
- Simon Taylor, head butcher and owner of Surrey Hills Butchers
- Victoria Davies, owner of Victoria’s Kitchen
- Mandira Sarkar, owner of Mandira's Kitchen
- Linda Hewett, Magimix expert
- Claire Alexander-Brown, co-owner of Brady & Brown
- Alex Brady, co-owner of Brady & Brown
Complementing the demo theatre were the informative and intimate bite-size talks. Local food and drink experts introduced festival visitors to a rich buffet of trade secret top tips, skills and mini masterclasses all hosted by Hersha Patel – host of YouTube channel 'Cook with a Little Indian'.
As well as the alluring pull of the Michelin star heavy weights and celebrity chefs, the Hot Pods chilli eating competition drew the crowds, with three finalists making it through to the tenth and final round, eating the world’s hottest chilli (the Carolina Reaper), before a ‘lunchbox’ tie breaker of six random chillies.
Woking Food and Drink Festival 2019 was sponsored by Woking Shopping, #WeAreWoking and Magimix UK.
Festival video
