Your complete guide to what's on at Winchester Food Festival

Starting on Monday, July 8, A Taste of Winchester will see a delicious line-up of 30 plus events across the district. 

Hampshire Fare has worked with Winchester City Council to encourage local food, drink producers, makers and hospitality businesses to take part. 

There is a mouth-watering and diverse range of events happening from talks to masterclasses and tastings to a quiz.

Here’s a few highlights of what you can get involved in. 

The Royal Logistic Corps Museum is hosting an Ale and Ammo evening on Tuesday, July 9 with Alfred’s Brewery. 

The Cabinet Rooms in Jewry Street is hosting a cheese and wine evening on Wednesday, July 10 with the Book and Bucket Cheese Company. 

Lainston House is opening its kitchen garden gates on Thursday, July 11.

The Myers Touch is hosting a celebratory supper club with Two&One Olive Oil in its kitchen design studio in Kings Worthy on Thursday, July 11. 

The South Downs Social will have teams competing in a Big Fat Food Quiz on Thursday, July 11. 

Turtle Bay is offering a 20 per cent discount between midday and 6pm all week. 

Many establishments are putting on special menus and discounts like Piecaramba which has created a Parchment Street Pie, Lucky Lychee that will be serving local Louis Pommery England sparkling wine with a tasty chicken karaage bao and Holden Farm Café which has a hyper local bacon roll and coffee combo. 

There are tasting events taking place at the Butler Country Estates Troutlet in Winnall, Westlea Farm Shop near Alresford and Cobbs in Kings Worthy and Camile Thai in Weeke.

Festival-goers can also learn new skills with pottery painting and pizza at Bella Crafts, a bread baking day at South Downs Sourdough and an urban foraging workshop with Experience Hampshire.

It’s also a great week to discover the foodie scenes in Winchester’s market towns of Alresford, Bishop’s Waltham and Wickham.

Winchester Food Festival (Image: Hampshrie Fare/Electric Eye Photography)

Events for A Taste of Winchester

Tuesday, July 9

South Downs Sourdough, Simply Sourdough Baking Course 

Ale & Ammo, The Royal Logistics Corp Museum

Wednesday, July 10

An evening in chocolate heaven, Chocolate Craft, Old Alresford

Experience Hampshire, Urban Foraging Workshop in Winchester

Cheese and wine tasting, The Cabinet Rooms with the Book & Bucket Cheese Company

Bees’ Knees cocktail making masterclass, Rick Stein’s Winchester with Bombay Sapphire
 
Thursday, July 11

Kitchen Garden Tour, Lainston House

The Big Fat Food Quiz, South Downs Social

Tapas Evening Supper Club, Myres Touch with Two&One Olive Oil 

Friday, July 12

Pottery and Pizza, BellaCrafts

Local produce tasting at the Troutlet, Butler Country Estates 

Deli Lates, Open House Deli

Saturday, July 13

What Happens: Our Body and Exercise, Winchester Science Centre

Kings Worthy BBQ with Big Green Egg, Kings Worthy Foundry and Lainston House at Hogget and Boar

Sample bags, Cup Cake Express, Shedfield 

On all week

2-4-1 Afternoon and Gents Tea at the Winchester Royal Hotel 

2-4-1 Pizzas at odyssey Restaurant

A Taste of Winchester Menu, The Ivy

Afternoon Tea with English Sparkling Wine, Cobbs Farm & Kitchen 

Curry Tasting, Camile Thai

Dine and Wine, Hotel du Vin

Early evening express dinner with Hampshire fizz, Lucky Lychee

Eat Local, The Winchester Spa Hotel 

FYR Grill BBQ Platters, The Solent Hotel

Local Breakfast, Holden Farm Café 

Local Produce tasting, Westlea Farm shop

Megaweek, Papa Johns

Sharing Meze Board for 2, Turkuaz 

Thai set menu, Giggling Squid 

The Parchment Street pie, Piecaramba

Unlock the secret to your gut health, Remedi Health 

Woodfire Tasting Experience, Lainston House

To reserve tables and book tickets follow the links on the winchesterfoodfestival.co.uk website. 

Winchester Food Festival (Image: Hampshrie Fare/Electric Eye Photography)

Winchester Food Festival

Back for a second year with more producers, more chefs and more entertainment, this years’ Winchester Food Festival promises to be great day out for all ages. And what’s more it’s FREE to attend! 

This culinary extravaganza takes place on Sunday, July 14 between 10am and 5pm, in the picturesque Outer Close of Winchester Cathedral. It’s a great day for local food and drink fans as the Hampshire Farmers’ Market is also on. 

Winchester Food Festival is a celebration of our finest local produce. You can build yourself the perfect picnic from the local producers market.

There is cheese from the Book and Bucket Cheese Company, smoked trout pates from Butler Country estates, tasty nibbles from Open House Deli and plenty of pastries, cakes, biscuits and savouries from Beaky Blinders, Madk and New Forest shortbread.

Ready to tantalise your tastebuds are the Butter Bike Company, Callaloo Corner, Olives Direct and Mrs B’s Bees honey. Our local drink producers are represented by the Flower Pots Brewery, Longdog Brewery, Hydes Cyder, River test Distillery, Candover Brook and Mozzo Coffee. 

There are also some scrummy food to go options including burgers from South BBQ Express and ice creams from Hiltonbury Jerseys. Why not pack a blanket or chairs to sit and enjoy a picnic whist you watch what’s on stage. 

One of the festival highlights will be the Chef Stage featuring our local culinary talent. We’ll see Colin Savory from the Northbrook Arms in East Stratton, Matt Whitfield and Tom Nabulsi from White Horse in Otterbourne and Addin Mazlin and James Harris from Lucky Lychee, Winchester. 

There will also be talks and masterclasses on stage including canape making by The Little Kitchen Company and olive oil tasting with Two&One. Hayley Elston, from the Fabulous Catch Company will be sharing her experience of winning Aldi’s next Big Thing on Channel 4.

Not to be missed on stage is “Ready Steady Cook” Goes Local. This is a challenge featuring two local chefs, Martin Dawkins, The Rustic Chef and Gary Moreton-Jones from the newly opened Kavi, creating dishes with ingredients sourced from the festival producers.  

Chef’s programme

12noon to 12.10pm – official opening 

12.15pm to 12.55pm – Colin Savory from the Northbrook Arms 

1.10pm to 2pm ‘Ready Steady Cook’ goes local with Martin Dawkins aka The Rustic Chef & Gary Morton-Jones from Kavi. The public will get the chance to vote the winner

1.10pm to 1.20pm – talk from Lola Rubio from Two & One Olive Oil 

2.10pm to 2.25pm – talk from Hayley Elston from Fabulous Catch Company about winning Aldi’s next big thing this year 

2.30pm to 3.10pm – James Harris & Addin Mazlin from Lucky Lychee 

3.25pm to 4.05pm – Matt Whitfield & Tom Nabulsi from The White Horse 

During the day there will also be plenty of free family activities. 

At 10am Munch will be running a workshop to make Funky Fruit Kebabs and at 11am join them to make a tasty treats with their Munch Brunch Club. Spaces are on a first come basis. 

BellaCrafts will be running activities for families to get creative painting with vegetables and planting seeds.

Winchester Food Festival has been produced by Hampshire Fare and is supported by Winchester BID, Winchester Cathedral and the Hampshire Chronicle.

It has been made possible thanks to the generous support of local businesses including Lexus Hedge End, John D Wood and Clarke & Son. 

Natasha Dochniak, Hampshire Fare’s commercial manager, said: “Hampshire has an abundance of exceptional food and drink producers. 

“We are delighted to be showcasing many of them through A Taste of Winchester and at Winchester Food Festival. 

“Thanks to the support of our partners, we are shining a light on Hampshire’s growing food and drink scene and putting the county firmly on the taste map.” 

More details at winchesterfoodfestival.co.uk