June 13th-14th-15th 2008
In aid of the Matthews Hall Modernisation Appeal
A weekend community celebration of local
and locally sourced foods,
taste workshops, live music, and Italian friendship
Welcome to the first Topsham Food Festival!
STOP PRESS 20/6/08 A huge thanks to all who helped make this such a memorable and wonderful weekend. It demonstrated not only the wealth of outstanding food and drink that we enjoy in Topsham, but above all, what a special community we are. Click here for Kim's gallery of photos from the weekend. Click here for a report about the Topsham Food Festival. Click here for a report about Nello's Longest Table |
This weekend-long celebration looks to showcase Topsham as an outstanding source of food and drink at all levels; to provide a programme of events and opportunities to eat, drink as well as to share fun activities centred on the pleasures of the table; and to sit down together at “Nello's Longest Table” to enjoy communal meals of local and locally sourced food and drink in a unique atmosphere of community and international friendship.
We are fortunate, indeed, for there is so much here on our doorstep that is truly brilliant. In an era dominated by supermarkets and multinationals, we still benefit from a great range of independent food and drink shops. Our town is famous for its numerous pubs and watering holes (the ‘Topsham Ten’ or is it now ‘Eleven’?), as well as award-winning restaurants and cafés serving outstanding and varied food at all levels and to suit every taste and budget (look out for special Festival menus). Darts Farm, on the edge of Topsham, is a fantastic regional food hall with its own Food Club offering varied activities and events. And once a month the Slow Food Devon Market comes to town, bringing to us a range of artisan-produced foods, Slow Food taste workshops and more.
Sustainability, food miles, and concerns for the environment and the foods we eat are now mainstream issues. This Festival celebrates the local – and is the start of an on-going Topsham ‘buy local’ campaign. But let’s not be too insular, either: our community is made up of a broad cross-section of people from all walks of life and places of origin. In “Nello’s Longest Table” we remember and celebrate a special friend who came to Topsham, made it his home, and was sadly with us for too short a time.
The Topsham Food Festival is a celebration, an opportunity to eat, drink and be merry: to enjoy simply being here, in what many of us consider the loveliest place on earth.
We look forward to seeing you over the weekend!
Liz, Marc, Kim and the Topsham Food Festival organisers
Please bookmark this site as further information and Festival details will be added frequently.