Were you there? The region’s first Eat Drink Fest was a treat. Here’s more…
The first Eat Drink Fest at Hoult’s Yard, Newcastle brought together some of the region’s best food and drink producers, welcomed by 1,800 hungry visitors who did their bit to vacuum up all that was on offer and go home very happy.
If you went and didn’t have the chickpea and potato curry from Mivesi, you missed a treat. If you did have one of the amazing wraps from Papa Ganoush, you enjoyed some of the best street food there is. The efforts of these fantastic producers were matched by street food from a host of brilliant vendors including the excellent Greedy Goose, La Petite Crêperie, Longhorns, Lost & Found, Northumberland Sausage Co, Northumbrian Bakehouse, Little Fishy, and the charming Adventures in Aude, all serving up fabulous food inside and outside The Clay Shed at Hoult’s Yard in the Ouseburn, Newcastle.
Brought to you by appetite, our sister magazine Cheers, and Festival Concepts, the two-day festival was created to celebrate all that’s good about North East food and drink. It began a few months ago, when a few of us got together to discuss a gin festival. And why not – it’s our favourite tipple, after all. We recruited premium distillers including Durham Gin, Whitley Bay Gin, the excellent Hepple Gin from Northumberland, and for the drivers, the fantastic Temperance Spirits Co, which creates (whisper it) an alcohol-free ‘G’&T, and knew we had a winning formula.
Then someone mentioned beer, and local brewers came on board, including the excellent Nicola and Tom Smith with their Muckle Beer, new kids on the block Rigg and Furrow, wheat-free specialist Autumn Brewing, and Sonnet 43. Then we recruited some of our favourite chefs to put on fascinating demos, including the brilliant Martin Charlton of The Boat House Food Group, the ever-entertaining Bob Arora from Sachins, and Anjana Doshi from Pan Asia.
Live music was brought to us by Sour Mash Trio, Kathryn Wales, Richard Sutton, and Eliza Lawson, creating a fantastic atmosphere and an event which exceeded all our expectations. So, thank you to all who came. See you next year!
APPETITE ZONE
Adventures in Aude, The Greedy Goose, La Petite Crêperie, Little Fishy, Longhorns, Lost & Found, Mivesi, Northumberland Sausage Co, Northumbrian Bakehouse, Ouseburn Coffee Company, Papa Ganoush, WMH Farm Foods.
CHEF KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Bob Arora, Sachins. Martin Charlton, Boathouse Food Group. Anjana Doshi, Pan Asia. Kitchen provided by NECTA.
CHEERS ZONE
Amble Butchers, Autumn Brewing, Box Social Brewing, Champion Bottles and Taps, McColls Bewery, Muckle Brewing, Rigg & Furrow, Sonnet 43.
SPIRIT ZONE
Alnwick Gin, Durham Gin, Eden Mill Gin, Hepple Gin, Lakes Distillery, Ludovici, Masons Gin, Newcastle Gin, Poetic License, Temperance Sprit Co, Whitley Bay Gin.
GIN AND CHEERS SPEAKERS
Andy Petherick, Alnwick Gin.
Steve Brace, Poetic License.
Ross Holland, Box Social Brewing.
BANDS
Sour Mash Trio, Kathryn Wales, Richard Sutton, Eliza Lawson.
THANK YOU
All who came and enjoyed it with us, Hoult’s Yard for hosting our event, NECTA (North East Culinary and Trade Association), London Bar and Kitchen LBK, Fever-Tree.
