Treats are in store at the fifth Taste Festival

Oct 27 2009 by Katharine Everitt, The Journal

GASTRONOMIC treats galore await visitors to The Journal’s latest food and drink festival to be held at the Metrocentre, Gateshead this weekend.

The Journal’s fifth Taste extravaganza will celebrate the very best of local fare and is predicted to attract the crowds in their thousands.

As well as local favourites on sale there will also be cookery demonstrations from some of the region’s finest chefs who will show off their skills in a state-of-the-art mobile kitchen.

Turning up the heat will be The Journal’s very own foodie columnist Bill Oldfield, owner of Oldfields restaurants in Newcastle and Durham. Also appearing is food writer Maunika Gowardhan of Starters and Spice, who will be sharing her passion for contemporary Indian cuisine. And comic cookery duo, Two Ladies of a Certain Age, will be bringing their inimitable style to the demo kitchen.

Others wowing the crowds include Simon Devine from Newcastle Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel, Mark Tamburrini from Malmaison, Newcastle, Bob Arora from Sachins, Newcastle and Rhian Cradock from the Feathers Inn, Hedley on the Hill, Northumberland.

It’s The Journal’s fifth food and drink festival since launching its ‘buy, use, eat local’ campaign to encourage consumers, retailers, hoteliers and restaurateurs to favour quality foodstuffs grown, reared, sown and made between the Rivers Tweed and Tees.

Karen Carr, marketing manager at the Metrocentre, Gateshead, said: “The opportunity to promote local produce at events such as these has always been exceptionally popular.

“We want to keep as much inward investment in the region as possible and this is one of the key methods of educating our shoppers on how they can support local producers, which of course has a long-term effect on improving the economy in the region.

“The timing of the Taste event is also the start of the season to be merry. Not only is it Hallowe’en weekend, but it’s the start of Christmas shopping, and the centre’s decorations will be on display.

“We know this will be a huge attraction offering lots of gift ideas for Christmas, and it’s a chance to see the region’s award-winning chefs in action. It’s the first time the Taste event has been held in a shopping centre – and we’re confident our shoppers will find it enjoyable.” Some of the stallholders showing off the region’s fine fare include Kielder Organic Meats of Dunterley Farm; The Proof of the Pudding of Alnwick; chilli growers Trees Can’t Dance of Coanwood; Sunny Hill Eggs of Belford; Riverford organic veg box scheme; Northumberland Cheese Company of Blagdon and Yummylicious Cakes of Cramlington.

The Journal editor Brian Aitken said: “Once again, it is fantastic that so many producers and chefs have come on board to help spread The Journal’s buy, use, eat local message. Now we hope the public will turn out in force at the Metrocentre to show their support for local food and drink producers.”

Taste at the Metrocentre will take place at the Qube, Saturday, October 31, from 9am-7pm, and Sunday, November 1, 11am-5pm. Cookery demonstration slots will be between 11am and 4.30pm Saturday and noon-4pm Sunday.

The Taste story

THE inaugural one-day Taste Food Festival took place at the National Trust’s Gibside estate on April 26, 2008, and was a huge success with 60 independent food, beer and wine producers lining up alongside local celebrity chefs doing cookery demonstrations, including Hairy Biker Simon King.

The Journal built on the success of this for its Linden Hall Taste 2 event on August 30, 2008, attended by 100 food and drink exhibitors – making it the largest festival of its kind ever held in the North East.

More than 12,000 people came to buy and sample the food and drink, witness former Newcastle United favourite David Ginola officially launch his new wine label in the UK, watch chef demonstrations and meet Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers.

Taste on the Tyne was another well-attended and successful one-day event in September, 2008, which saw The Journal bringing its ‘buy, use, eat, local’ message to the Guildhall on Newcastle’s Quayside.

This year we worked with the County Show in Corbridge. The Journal’s Taste of the County featured more than 50 of the region’s artisan producers at the showground at Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge, in May.

Page 2 - Who is taking part? >>