EAT! NewcastleGateshead festival off to great start

May 4 2009 by Katy Simpson, The Journal

“People bought their beer and food and enjoyed the sunshine. It was a mix of demonstrations, markets, picnics and spectacles, and was a great way to kick the festival off.”

The fun continues today with a foraging tour, called Found, to explore nature and find the free food available in the wild in the North East. Yesterday there were still tickets available for the event, and these can be booked by checking out the website at www.newcastlegateshead.com/eat.

Four groups were due to set off this morning to look for edible plants along the coastline, in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene, in Chopwell Woods in Gateshead, and on the Gibside Estate, near Rowlands Gill.

The EAT! festival, which is now in its third year, has established itself as one of the country’s leading food festivals, and tickets were snapped up or sell-out events such as the EAT! Carter event, giving people the chance to dine suspended 50m high from a crane, in front of Gateshead’s famous Get Carter car park.

There are a handful of events for which tickets are still available, and these can be booked via the website or by calling 0191 2305151.

Drinkers will have the chance to learn more about the history of gin, or try different beers at two events on May 15. Extreme Beer – a tasting session with beer journalist Alastair Gilmour – starts at 5.45pm, and the Botany of Gin takes place afterwards, starting at 7.15pm.

There are also tickets available for the Secret Paladares event, based on the Cuban concept of restaurants in local people’s homes. From May 11 -16, foodies are being invited to try a typical Bosnian or Pakistani meal in authentic home surroundings.

And there are spots up for grabs at the EAT! speed dining event, to be held at Newcastle’s Flatbread Café and Starters and Puds from tomorrow until Friday.