Is there anything better than a festival in the sun? Well yes actually, a food festival in the sun! In this case I am talking about the Manchester Eats festival which will he held at the beautiful Heaton Park on July 7-8th.he artisian festival promises to bring the very latest in food trends and cuisine and will have everything from top celebrity chefs, to workshops for kids and adults and of course my favourite, a gin garden! This will be my first stop at the festival and I am looking to see what the guys from Manchester Gin have on offer.

Chefs

Headlining the festival will be the absolutely incredible Marco Pierre White, a chef who I absolutely adore after having the pleasure of dining at one of his restaurants many years ago. Marco is renowned for his attention to detail and for being the youngest chef to recieve 3 Michelin Stars. He rarely does live cooking demonstrations or tv work these days, so having him at the festival cooking along with a Q&A and a book signing will be an absolute treat.

Another chef I am looking forward to seeing is Matt Tebbutt. Matt has worked for some of the best restaurants in the country, including Marco Pierre White at the Oak Room and Criterion. You’ll know Matt from shows such as Food Unwrapped, Saturday Kitchen and most recently, Save Money: Good Food with Susanna Reid. He also did a documentary recently where he travelled all over South Africa, trying the local cuisine. Matt will be treating us to cooking demonstrations, bbq sessions and a Q&A. I’m looking forward to asking him some questions about his travels in my home city of Cape Town, and if learning about South African cuisine has given him any inspiration for new recipes.

Other top chefs in attendance include,Britain’s Best Dish’s Ed Baines, award-winning Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague, and Manchester-born Adam Reid.

For the kids

There will be a kids village at the festival which will include fun activites such as a fairground, face painting, Cheshire exotic animals and food workshops. Kids under 14 get free entry, so the guys behind the festival are really marketing this as an affordable family friendly weekend.

Amber has grown up watching cookery shows and loves helping me in the kitchen, and it’s really exciting to be able to take her along to a food festival which will no doubt grow her love for food even more.

Highlights

Live demos, Prosecco Tent, FREE Cookstars Kids cookery, The Vegan Society cookery classes, In Truffle We Trust chocolate masterclasses, Chester petting zoo, Vintage fairground rides, Diane Modahl Sports Zone, Mixology, Children’s Village and live DJ sets
Exhibitor Highlights: Cottonopolis, Proove Pizza, Red’s True BBQ and Manchester Gin.

There will also be a healthy living area and special dietary requirement options such as gluten-free and vegan food, with a big emphasis on good food and not just standard meat free alternatives which we are so used to seeing. I tend to eat plant based 3-4 times a week, so I’m really looking forward to some vegan and vegetarian recipe inspiration.

Tickets

Tickets: Day passes from £7.50, Weekend passes £12, Kids under 14 go FREE. Tickets can be purchased here .

I’ll be at the festival all weekend, so make sure you come and say hi if you see me around.