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Food Festivals in Wales

If you are organising a food festival that you would like considered for inclusion in the Welsh Rarebits What's On listings please send the details to whatson@little-places.co.uk.

Pembrokeshire Fish Week

DATE : Saturday 25 June - Sunday 3 July 2011

LOCATION : Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire Fish Week 2011 is packed with more than 250 events. It celebrates the Welsh county's first-class seafood, spectacular coastline, wonderful clean beaches, and fascinating maritime heritage.

If you love fish and shellfish, you're in for a treat! You can tuck into the freshest local produce at the county's restaurants and pubs all week long - from local lobster to fresh crab salads and seafood extravaganzas, or good old beer-battered fish with hand-cut Pembrokeshire chips.

There are also lots of opportunities for cooks to learn how to get the best out of their fish and shellfish, with masterclasses, workshops and speciality cookery classes.

MORE INFORMATION : www.pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY : Manor Town House

Really Wild Food & Countryside Festival

DATE : Friday 29 & Saturday 30 July 2011

LOCATION : Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, St Davids

A truly unique event, this is the only festival in the UK that focuses on food and crafts originating from the wild. So enjoy some wild talks on how to eat foraged foods, wild walks on where to find wild food and chef demonstrations using this food. To make sure things really are totally wild, they also have ferret and pig racing!

MORE INFORMATION : www.reallywildfestival.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY : Ramsey House / The Grove / Yr Hafen

Welsh Food Festival

DATE : Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 September 2011

LOCATION : Glansevern Hall Gardens, Berriew, Welshpool SY21 8AH

Set in the beautiful gardens of Glansevern Hall, the Welsh Food Festival hosts a range of events showcasing Welsh produce. This year Bryn Williams is the star attraction and he'll be presents a variety of cookery demonstrations. Also present will be 16 year old Luke Thomas who has already worked with Heston Blumenthal and Marcus Wareing and aims to be the youngest person ever to win a Michelin star.

MORE INFORMATION : www.welshfoodfestival.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY : Lion Inn

Abergavenny Food Festival

DATE : Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 September 2011

LOCATION : 63 Frogmore Street, Abergavenny NP7 5AU

The Abergavenny Food Festival takes place over the third weekend of September. Featuring some of the brightest lights of the culinary world it occupies the centre of the town across six venues. Around one hundred and seventy stalls with produce from Wales, the Marches and further afield, together with a programme of individually ticketed masterclasses, tutored tastings and chef dems (previous participants: Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Clarissa Dickson-Wright, Anthony Bourdain).

"As Cannes is to Film, so is Abergavenny to food" - Observer Food Monthly.

MORE INFORMATION : www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com

WHERE TO STAY : Ty Gwyn

Mold Food Festival

DATE : Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 September 2011

LOCATION : Ruthin Road, Mold

Though perhaps a slightly unfortunate title for a festival devoted to eating, Mold Food Festival is a charming event which showcases a great variety of produce from the town and surrounding areas. The Festival will include demonstrations from celebrity chefs Jean-Christophe Novelli, Brian Mellor and Graham Tinsley. There will also be talks on how to use Welsh produce, plus a full programme of live music.

MORE INFORMATION : www.moldfoodfestival.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY : Tan-Yr-Onnen

Narberth Food Festival

DATE : Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 September 2011

LOCATION : Narberth, Pembrokeshire SA61 1TP

This community event, entirely volunteer-run, won‘t get the biggest names, but it's still one of the friendliest and most enjoyable food festivals around. Patrons are Angela Gray and Elizabeth Luard, so you can expect talks and demonstrations from those two luminaries, along with a variety of exhibitors, all soundtracked by live music.

MORE INFORMATION : www.narberthfoodfestival.com

WHERE TO STAY : Canaston Oaks

Aberystwyth Food and Drink Festival

DATE : September 2011

LOCATION : Baker Street, Aberystwyth

The historic market town of Aberystwyth, famous for its density of pubs and its picturesque seafront, is a perfect location for a festival of food and drink. Just as well they have one then; a great mix of cookery demonstrations, children's entertainment and most vitally a fine showcase for welsh food.

MORE INFORMATION : ?

WHERE TO STAY : Gwesty Cymru

Feastival - Wales Alternative Food Festival

DATE : Friday 30 September & Saturday 1 October 2011

LOCATION : Town Centre, Bridgend

Billed as the alternative food festival of Wales, this ‘Feastival' really tries to offer something different alongside its regular programme of stalls, demos and talks. So watch the finale of the 150 mile long Leek relay, showing how far our produce travels (and the effect it has) before it gets to us. And marvel at all 10ft of the cauliflower sheep, made to highlight food wastage and all composted afterwards.

MORE INFORMATION : www.walesalternativefoodfestival.com

WHERE TO STAY : Maltsters / Town House

Anglesey Oyster and Welsh Produce Festival

DATE : Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 October 2011

LOCATION : Trearddur Bay Hotel, Lon Isallt, Trearddur Bay, Anglesey

Starting as an annual informal event where locals would gather to eat oysters and get merry, this event now attracts thousands of visitors each year. Enjoy demonstrations from chefs all over Wales, taste Welsh products and perhaps most importantly, sample Anglesey's famous oysters.

MORE INFORMATION : facebook.com/pages/Anglesey-Oyster-and-Welsh-Produce-Festival

WHERE TO STAY : Grove

Llangollen Food & Drink Festival

DATE : Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 October 2011

LOCATION : The Royal International Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen LL20 8SW

Llangollen Food and Drink is one of the heavyweights of Wales Food Festival circuit, with over 100 handpicked exhibitors and a variety of celebrity chef demonstrations. It's not just focused on the food though, with a dedicated beer tent featuring ales from breweries around North Wales and the borders launched last year, plus a chance to watch a cider pressing demonstration.

MORE INFORMATION : www.llangollenfoodfestival.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY : The Hand at Llanarmon / Tyddyn Llan

Gwledd Conwy Feast

DATE : Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 October 2011

LOCATION : Conwy, North Wales

The Conwy Feast takes place over two days and is now one of the largest and most successful in Wales. With a myriad of choice from local food producers and retailers on hand for you to try (and buy) their produce plus cooking demonstrations and much more, this is a day or weekend for all the family to enjoy. Gwledd Conwy Feast has been awarded 'BEST COMMUNITY EVENT 2010' in Conwy County Borough.

MORE INFORMATION : www.gwleddconwyfeast.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY : Bodysgallen Hall / The Castle Hotel / St Tudno Hotel / Sychnant Pass House

Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival

DATE : Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 October 2011 (tbc)

LOCATION : Arthur John Car Park, North Road, Cowbridge

A real vibrancy takes over the bustling market town of Cowbridge, when established event is in town. Along with the usual mix of exhibitors, chef demonstrations and talks, you'll find marquees devoted to the time old coupling of wine and cheese, and to the decadent drink that is Champagne.

MORE INFORMATION : www.cowbridgefoodanddrink.org

WHERE TO STAY : Coed Y Mwstwr Hotel / The Great House / Miskin Manor Hotel

Brecon Beacons Food Festival

DATE : October 2011

LOCATION : The Market Hall, Brecon

Brecon is best known for its beacons and its Jazz festival, but increasingly this annual celebration of food is gaining notoriety. The market hall is the host, as it is for Brecon's weekly farmers market and there'll be over 50 stalls of produce available.

MORE INFORMATION : www.brecon-beacons.com/food-festival.htm

WHERE TO STAY : Felin Fach Griffin / Peterstone Court

Mumbles Harvest Festival

DATE : October 2011

LOCATION : Seafront Dairy Car Park, Oystermouth Square, Mumbles

The idyllic seafront of the Mumbles really is a great location for this annual event with the stalls laid out on the seafront. Along with the quarterly farmers market, there are extra harvest festival stalls, demonstrations and a variety of street entertainers.

MORE INFORMATION : ...

WHERE TO STAY : Fairyhill

Neath Food Festival

DATE : October 2011

LOCATION : Green Street, Neath SA11 1DW

Neath Food Festival started with a bang in 2009, with thousands of visitors enjoying the abundance of food stalls in and outside the Victorian market. Under the guidance of Le Crème Pattiserie's Ian Hindle, they have big ambitions for this event and you can expect Neath Food Festival 2011, to be bigger and better than before.

MORE INFORMATION : www.neathfoodfestival.co.uk

WHERE TO STAY : Fairyhill

Taste Dolgellau

DATE : October 2011

LOCATION : Dolgellau

The newest festival on Wales' food calendar is located in Snowdonia in the shadow of the spectacular Cader Idris mountain range. Along with the standard exhibitors, Taste Dolgellau is offering some unusual additions to its programme. These include a Bollywood demonstration by a local Bollywood celebrity and restaurant owner, a fancy dress medieval banquet and a foraging walk with a local bush craftsman.

MORE INFORMATION : ...

WHERE TO STAY : Penmaenuchaf Hall