Tempting treats saw big crowds at Stratford Food Festival
Sunday’s heavy rain didn’t dampen spirits particularly of those dedicated foodies who braved the weather and travelled many miles in some cases to enjoy the tempting treats on offer.
Stratford BID organised and funded the cookery stage which featured live demonstrations from Michelin-star chefs Glynn Purnell and Tom Shepherd.
Local businesses like Shakespeare Distillery, Hotel Du Vin, and the RSC also showcased their seasonal food and drink offerings on stage. Additionally, the BID funded a variety of entertainment over the two days, including two comedy waiters, a stilt-walking chef, live music, and a talented balloon artist.
Siobhan Noake, of LSD Promotions which has run the food festival for the last two years, said: “The event was truly an international festival. We made sure to give priority to local traders who applied to be part of the event, supporting the community's talented food makers.
Local businesses in the town centre also joined the festivities by trading for free, including favourites like Hoorays, Shakespeare Distillery, and Giggling Squid. There was a real mix of flavours—everything from Indian curries and samosas to Greek gyros, Persian dishes, Mexican street food, and Thai cuisine. We also had Spanish churros, Dutch cheese, Australian kangaroo burgers, South African biltong, French cheese, Sicilian sweets, Vietnamese banh mi, and so much more. It was a food lover’s paradise with something from almost every corner of the globe.”
Siobhan added LSD has a new five-year contract with the Stratford BID to run the food festival, which will return to Stratford next year.
“Right now, we don’t have an exact footfall count for this year’s event, as there’s no official system in place. However, Stratford District Council is installing an iCloud-based footfall counting system within the next few months, which will give us some accurate data for future events, including past festivals,” Siobhan said.
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