Shobdon food and drink festival

With the seventh annual Shobdon food and drink festival just weeks away, an impressive line up of the best local producers has been assembled to showcase the finest produce the region has to offer. It includes no fewer that four finalists from the recent Heart of England fine foods diamond awards, leaving little doubt that Shobdon has established itself as one of the primary food events in the regional culinary calendar.

The HEFF diamond awards celebrate the finest food and drink from across the Midlands with this year's winners named at a recent dinner in Birmingham. The finalists included Herefordshire's very own Cott Farm Cupcakes, a business set up earlier this year by Nichola Lewis in the kitchen of her family farm in Shobdon. She lovingly prepares a range of mouthwatering handmade cupcakes for any occasion with flavours including chocolate fudge and champagne and strawberries that can be delivered to your door.

The other finalists attending Shobdon are Lulham Court Vinyard, veterans of all seven Shobdon food festivals, Celtic Marches Brewery and Jo Hilditch British Cassis who are also friends of the event. Typical of many of the producers who attend, the hard work dedication and passion involved in diversifying the family farm to producing what has become a multi award-winning alcoholic mixer, isn’t to be underestimated.

Jo Hilditch said: What events like Shobdon offer is an additional shop window for us, and our produce. The atmosphere is always relaxed and friendly and we get a rare opportunity to engage with our customers and get across exactly how much love has gone into the drink they’re sampling.

This year’s Shobdon food and drink festival, sponsored by Henman’s of Hereford marquees, takes place on the weekend with around forty of the region’s best producers selling everything from summer fruits, cheeses, coffees and ice cream to traditional homemade lemonade and cider, plus a range of bespoke hot food.

Festival organiser, Matt Teale said: “For producers, getting their product tasted and talked about locally is key. We hope having a festival like ours on the doorstep is a massive boost. For everyone else - all that great food and drink in one place - what’s not to love?”

There is also a display of classic cars and vintage vehicles, a bespoke craft marquee, cooking demonstrations, children’s cookery lessons and much more. A variety of live music will accompany the weekend with the showpiece event a live 50s and 60s rock ‘n roll night in Shobdon village hall on the Saturday evening (tickets sold separately).

For information about any aspect of the event visit www.shobdonfestival.co.uk or call Terry Teale on 07768 447476.