 Saturday 27 June and Sunday 28 June 2009. The Northmoor Trust Farm, ten miles south of Oxford. If your children turn their noses up at everything you offer them at mealtimes, then the Children’s Food Festival is for you – or rather for them.
This celebration of food and cooking is designed to turn fussies into foodies and is devoted entirely to young people. Adults will have fun too, but this is one occasion where the kids are in charge of the dough. The first Children’s Food Festival in 2007 attracted over 16,000 and more are expected this year.
Celebrity hands-on demos
The Festival is fronted by Patrons Raymond Blanc and Sophie Grigson, who will be giving hands-on demos, inviting children to help them chop, stir, smell and taste. The line-up also includes Annabel Karmel, Jane Fearnley Whittingstall (author of The Good Granny Cookbook), Sam Stern (the Teenage Chef) and Nora Sands (Jamie’s School Dinner Lady). Children’s cookery writer Amanda Grant will be running the Kids’ Kitchen.
Child-centred highlights
Children of all ages are invited to become adventurers in the world of real food and they will be able to get their hands into plenty of ingredients from pizza to pesto and sushi to sausages. Children who already love food and cooking can show off their skills to their peers and explore their passion further. Highlights include: open fire cookery, bicycle-powered smoothie-making, the observation beehive and the Smell and Taste Experience with the Academy of Culinary Arts.
And back by popular request is the Festival’s extremely popular giant pink pig - a 40 ft inflatable sow with farmyard drama inside.
New additions
New for 2009 are the Baby and Early Years Area and the Chocolate Tent with demos by the UK’s top chocolatiers and Willy Wonka recipe making with the Roald Dahl Museum team.
The Festival will also host the UK premiere of the remarkable photo exhibition of Hungry Planet, What the World Eats, showing what the average family eats in 16 countries across the world.
Festival Director Eka Morgan is passionate about connecting children with real food and inspiring families to cook together more: “We want children to discover that cooking is fun and creative. As eating habits are learnt when we’re young – the sooner they get their hands in the dough the better.”
Where and when
The Children’s Food Festival is organised by the Northmoor Trust and takes place on its farm in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, ten miles south of Oxford.
Date and time: Saturday 27 (10am – 6pm) and Sunday 28 June (10am – 5pm)
Place: The Northmoor Trust Farm. The entrance to the Festival will not be via Northmoor Trust offices, please see the website for directions: www.childrensfoodfestival.co.uk
Car: £10 per car on the gate
Shuttle Bus: £3 per adult from Didcot Parkway railway station
Cycle or Foot: £3 per adult.
All activities at the Festival are free!
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