Celebrating it’s 5th year, the popular Beccles Food and Drink Festival is returning in 2019 to tantalise the taste buds.
The free event, set for Saturday 25th May, will showcase over 70 food and drink stalls, many of them local artisan producers, as well as those from further afield in East Anglia. As well as many stalls which have supported the event from the start.
New traders to feature include those making artisan Scotch eggs, Greek Cypriot skewers, Suffolk gin and vodka, and bacon relish, mayonnaise and mustard.
Based in the centre of the vibrant market town around New Market, Sheepgate, in St Michael’s Church and the Public Hall, the Festival runs from 10 am till 4 pm and will include cookery demonstrations and talks, street food, music and children’s entertainment.
A free Park & Ride shuttle service will run throughout the event from Beccles Quay, where additional parking will be available.
Building on the successful formula of previous years, some new and exciting features, including Fringe events at some food and drink venues in the local area from the 18th May to the 2nd June, are planned.
Festival Programme
Yes copies of the Festival Programme have now arrived and will be available to pick up and read from locations in and around Beccles.
If you cannot wait however you can view a PDF version by selecting the button below:
SAD NEWS
Harris & James have had to CANCEL their Fringe Event on Saturday 18th May as the new Chocolate factory will not be ready in time.
They will be taking bookings for organised chocolate tours once open. Please call 07367289169 for more information on chocolate tours.
SOLD OUT!
This years event is now complete with the full and final list of attendees shown below. The Grazing trail has been completed and will appear in the new Festival Programme which has just been finalised and is being printed. Look out for it soon!
More Exciting News
Punch & Judy Show
Venue: Behind St. Michael’s Church
Times: 11 am, 12 pm, 1:30 pm & 2:30 pm
Price: Free
Description: As in previous years the ever popular Punch & Judy show will be free to watch on the grass behind the Church. Let your children enjoy the entertainment while you take in the stalls within and around the beautiful St. Michael’s Church.
Exciting news this year as there are a number of changes coming as promised.
Firstly Fringe Events.
This year we have organised 13 (yes thirteen!) tantalising events which are being held within 15 miles of Beccles. These range from children’s workshops at a local farm, special menu’s and events at local restaurants and a tour of a chocolate factory (yes did you know Beccles has it’s very own chocolate factory) yum,yum!
Details of these events are shown below and are being promoted on social media so please follow us on facebook and/or twitter.
Secondly Competition Time your chance to Win a number of “Tasty” prizes!!!
While you are taking our Grazing Trail around the stalls, keep an eye out for those with the competition stamps. Collect the four different stamps in your free Festival Programme to stand the chance of winning one or four amazing food and drink related prizes.
Take your completed entry form to the Public Hall and 4 entries will be drawn to see who receives a prize. Details and rules can be found in this year’s Festival Programme, due for release mid April.
Thirdly Battle of the Beccles Bangers
Have you ever wanted to try a variety of local sausages all in one place at one time and judge which you believe to be the best? Now is your chance. Another new feature of the Festival this year is a mini “Battle of the Beccles Bangers”. In our Cookery Theatre at Beccles Public Hall, students from East Coast College will be cooking a selection of sausage tasters for the public to vote for their favourite. The time of this event will be published in the brand new Festival Programme.
Finally did we mention the Festival Programme?
Yes this year we will be producing a 28 page colourful programme containing the usual Grazing Trail Map but also many other pieces of information. There will be competition details, fringe event details and recipes from local chef’s. The programmes will be available from local businesses in Beccles and the surrounding area from April. So keep an eye out on social media for more information and we look forward to seeing everyone on the 25th May. Tell your friends, bring your family and good luck collecting stamps!
5 Course Vegan Supper
Venue: Relish Cafe, 2-4 Market Row Beccles NR34 0HF
Dates: Saturday 18 May 2019
Time: 19:00 until 22:00
Price: £25
Description: At Relish Café in response to an increased demand for Vegan food we have purchased the cookbooks & are having fun developing the Vegan range on the menu.
Our Fringe Event is the perfect opportunity to showcase how delicious & exciting Vegan food can be with a freshly prepared, 5 course Vegan Supper.
Diners are invited to bring their own drinks.
The café is the perfect venue for a relaxed evening with friends.
Contact: 01502 714899
Max Number: 24
Enjoy a “Suffolk Menu”
Venue: Waveney House Hotel, Puddingmoor, Beccles NR34 9PL
Dates: Saturday 18, Sunday 19 & Friday 31 May
Saturday 1 & Sunday 2 June 2019
Time: 12:00 – 15:00 / 18:30 – 21:00
Price: 2 Course £20 3 Course £25
Description: Join us for a delicious 2 or 3 course meal from our set ‘Suffolk Menu’. Featuring seasonal dishes using local Suffolk suppliers.
Pre-book your table now to avoid disappointment.
Contact: Charlotte Denny 01502 712270
email: enquiries@waveneyhousehotel.co.uk
website:waveneyhousehotel.co.uk
A Taste of Suffolk
Penny Bun artisan breads | olive oil | balsamic vinegar | Fen Farm Dairy raw butter
Starters
Crispy poached Low Farm egg | Dingley Dell smoked bacon and potato rosti |
Stokes dijon mustard emulsion
Locally smoked kipper | lemon and parsley butter | granary croute
Local asparagus pannacotta | crisp bread thins | garden salsa verde | v,vg
Mains
Chargrilled Dingley Dell pork cutlet | apple and celeriac remoulade
Fresh Lowestoft caught fish of the day | Stokes tartare sauce
Aubergine, spinach and spring onion burger | Penny Bun bap | crisp lettuce | tomato | beetroot humous | v,vg
All served with hand cut triple cooked chips and sautéed green vegetables
Desserts
D’hôtel Patisserie assiette of desserts | v, vg
Pump street chocolate and Adnams Ghostship cake | chocolate & ‘Munchy Seeds’
soil | homemade honey ice-cream | local edible flower
Paravanni’s coupe
An Evening of Spice & Flavour with Graze
Venue: Graze at The White Horse, 29 New Market, Beccles NR34 9HE
Dates: 21, 22, 23 May 2019
Time: 18:00 until 20:30
Price: £20
Description: Graze Chef David Little has a passion for Asian food. Whilst travelling around Thailand David has enjoyed wonderful street food and has created a delicious menu you to enjoy. Join us for an evening of spice and flavour! Enjoy a set 3 course Asian inspired meal at Graze. Vegetarian food choices available.
Please book in advance:
Contact: Kevin Wainwright
Phone: 01502 715974
Email: enquiries@grazewhitehorse.co.uk
Website: grazewhitehorse.co.uk
Thai Food Night Set Menu
3 courses
To start
Thai chicken salad
Or
Tom yum soup (v)
Main
Thai red duck curry with pineapple
Or
Thai red curry with tofu (v)
Both served with rice, coriander, thai basil & chilli
Pudding
Coconut ice cream with lime syrup
Sushi Nights
Venue: Momiji Japanese Restaurant, 74 London Road, Harleston IP20 9BZ
Dates: 21, 22, 23 May 2019
Time: 18:00 –
Max Number: 45
Description: Momiji Japanese Restaurant, run by Charlotte and Taka Nakamoto in Harleston, is holding “Sushi Nights”. A good selection of sushi, all freshly made to order, awaits you. If you’ve only ever had “supermarket type sushi”, you should try the real thing! In addition, some of our most popular cooked Japanese dishes are available so you can feast on sushi, or mix and match. If you haven’t tried Japanese food before, don’t be nervous, we’re happy to provide as much guidance as you need! Please find us on Facebook or see our website for future Sushi Nights.
Booking advisable. Please call to reserve your table
Contact: Charlotte Nakamoto, 01379 852288
Email: info@momijijapanese.co.uk
Website: momijijapanese.co.uk
Cheese and Wine Evening
Venue: Baileys Delicatessen 2 Hungate, Beccles NR34 9TL
Dates: Friday 24 May 2019
Time: 19:00 until 21:00
Price: £55 pp
Maximum number: 38
Description: Baileys invites you to join us for an evening of cheese inspired dishes prepared by our head chef and owner Paul Buck. Each dish is paired with a wine which has been selected to compliment its flavours. Four course meal including wine.
Contact: 01502 710609
website: baileysdelicatessen.co.uk
A Japanese Dining Experience
Venue: Urban Jungle London Road, Beccles NR34 8TT
Dates: 24 May 2019
Time: 18:00 – 23:00
Price: £35
Max Attendees: 60
Description: During the month of May at Urban Jungle, we’re celebrating all things Japanese in our Nursery and Cafe, with plants and food carefully connected to the distinct and fascinating Japanese culture, promoting a feeling of zen and ikigai (finding your bliss).
And, as part of the 2019 Beccles Food and Drink Festival’s Fringe Events, we will be hosting a Japanese banquet, celebrating this unique cuisine, enjoy 5 courses with an arrival drink.
Arrive to Sake, and browse the striking outdoor plants including Japanese maples, flowering cherries, Wisteria, Azaleas, Camellias, and bamboo, with Kokedama and bonsai inside the Jungle Cafe.
At 7.30pm your Japanese dining experience will begin, including a selection of dishes such as Udon noodles, Sushi, and Katsu to share.
To book please contact: 01502 559103
email: beccles@cafeurbanjungle.co.uk
website: urbanjungle.uk.com/contact
Rosedale Charity Fete
Venue: Rosedale Yard 22 Hungate, Beccles, NR34 9TT
Dates: 25 May 2019
Time: 10:00 – 16:00
Price: Free
Description: Roll up! Roll Up! Drop by and see the Rosedale Team at Hungate Yard, where we will be cooking up a storm of activities to raise funds for Beccles Mayoral Appeal for new play equipment at Beccles Quay, and for Nelsons Journey. There’ll be old fashioned fun and great prizes for big and little kids alike, including a ‘Boozy Lucky Dip’, ‘Food & Drink Quiz’, ‘Guess the name of the Teddy’, ‘How many chocs in the jar’, ‘Toilet Roll Tower Challenge’, photo booth and much, much, more.
Contact: 01502 714445
email: beccles@rosedalefuneralhome.co.uk
website: rosedalefuneralhome.co.uk
Chet Vineyard sparkling wine tour and canapés
Venue: Chet Vineyard, Loddon Road, Bergh Apton NR15 1BT
Dates: Monday 27 May
Time: 13:00 until 16:00
Price: £30
Maximum number: 30
Description: Chet Vineyard Owner and winemaker John Hemmant specialises in making sparkling wine. This unique event is the first opportunity to sample some of his range of Norfolk sparkling wines as you stroll through the vines enjoying the tranquil rural Norfolk setting. Canapés will be served with the Norfolk sparkling wine. John will personally lead the Vineyard tour and show visitors round his winery and demonstrate how the wine is made.
Contact: John Hemmant, 01508 333002
Email: chetandwaveney.vineyard@gmail.com
Spring Pudding Nights
Venue: Wine Vaults, 2a Blyburgate, Beccles NR34 9TA
Dates: 28, 29, 30 May 2019
Price: £25
Description: Celebrate Spring and Beccles Food and Drink Festival Fringe with a delicious selection of mains and puddings. A Main Course plus all you can eat pudding buffet.
Booking and payment need to be made in advance.
Contact: 01502 713381
email: bookings@winevaultsbeccles.co.uk
website: winevaultsbeccles.co.uk
Main Course Choices
- Chicken breast with a Parmesan cream sauce with new potatoes and vegetables
- Roast cod with a tomato, basil and pepper sauce, new potatoes and vegetables
- Keralan sweet potato and coconut curry with basmati rice and naan bread
Pudding Buffet
- Warm chocolate fondant
- Tart au chocolat
- Bramley tart au pomme
- Dark chocolate & salted caramel brownie
- Cherry bakewell tart
- Banoffee pie
- Treacle tart
- Sticky toffee pudding
- Vanilla and strawberry cheesecake
- Passion fruit and white chocolate cheesecake
- New York style vanilla baked cheesecake
Little Farmers / Sausage Making Workshops
Venue: Meadow Classroom, Maisebrook Farm, Shipmeadow NR34 8HJ
Dates: 28, 29 May 2019
Time: Little Farmers 28 May 10:00 until 12:00
Sausage Making Workshops 29 May 10:00 – 12:00 and 13:00 – 15:00
Price: Little Farmers £6
Sausage Making £15 (£10 additional siblings)
Description: Little Farmers – Join us on the farm to meet the animals and get hands on with my farmer jobs!
Sausage Making – Do you want to know more about where your food comes from? Why not join us for our sausage making workshop? You’ll find out about our pigs and what is in a Maisebrooke sausage. You’ll have plenty to take home for tea
Contact: Laura Corbett 07791 066874
Max Number: Little Farmers 15
Sausage Making 10
email: meadowclassroomltd@gmail.com
Best of British Lamb
Venue: Beccles Farmers Market, Old Heliport, Ellough, NR34 7XF
Dates: Saturday 1 June 2019
Time: 09:00 until 13:00
Price: Free
Description: On June 1st we are celebrating the best of British Lamb with a live butchery demonstration from D J Barnards (our resident lamb producer) at 10:30am alongside the other 25+ local farmers and artisansWe will also have wool spinning demos, a lamb naming competition and a raffle to win a prize hamper worth £30. Free entry. Ample parking including disabled. Sorry, guide dogs only.
Contact: Margarett Hall, 01502 476240
Email: becclesfarmersmarket@gmail.com
Website: becclesfarmersmarket.co.uk
SOLD OUT! Attending The 2019 Beccles Food & Drink Festival
167 Catering Support Regiment
Ailsa’s Country Cream Fudge
Ampersand Brew Co
Bake Shack
Balkan Pottery
Barkers of Suffolk
Beccles Twinning Association
Blackbird Cottage Fine Foods
Burch & Suffolk Preserves
Cakes to Celebrate
Carol’s Cakes & Bakes
Carr Farm Geese
Chet & Waveney Vineyard
Clinks Care Farm
Cocoa May
Currylicious
DJ Wines Ltd
Dominic’s Photography
Dr Olive
E A Mayhew & Sons
East Norfolk Trading
ES Burroughs & Son
Fen Farm Dairy
Flint Vineyard
G&D3 Catering
Graze at The White Horse
Harleston Cider
Harris & James
Harrisons Chocolatiers
Hay Hay
Help for Heroes Charity
Hog & Ale
Kenton Hall Longhorn Beef
Kim’s Norfolk Kitchen
Leanne’s Fudge Bar
Lickety Ice
Maisebrooke Farm
Marsh Pig
McCarthy’s Country Store
Mr Bees
Nanna Lee’s Pantry
Nortons Dairy
Parravani’s Ice Cream
Peachey’s Preserves
Pepperells Meats Ltd
Pimento
Riverford Organic Farmers
Scarlett & Mustard
Season’s Bounty
Smally’s Biltong
St Peter’s Brewery
Stokes Sauces
Suffolk Coffee Pod
Suffolk Smokehouse
Syms Pantry
Tabboule Tal
The Bon Bakery
The Fresh Sauce Co
The Galley Cookshop
The May Centre
The Norfolk Truffle Co
The Penny Bun Bakehouse
The Souvlaki Shack
The Suffolk Distillery
The Suffolk Pate Company
The Tiny Tipple Company
The Wrap Bar
Truly Traceable Venison & Game
Two Magpies Bakery
Valley Farm Vineyards
Waveney Valley Smokehouse
Winbirri Vineyards
Yare Valley Oils
Yum Yum Tree Fudge
How to get to the Festival!
Planning to visit the Festival?
With good bus and rail links, and hubs within a 5 minute walk of the town centre, we recommend arriving by public transport. A FREE Park & Ride service will operate on Festival day from Beccles Quay Car Park (NR34 9BH). Follow the Festival Car Park signs on the day.
Key locations in the town on the Day
Marked on the map below are the locations of the Park & Ride and Traders Car Park. Plus the major locations of the festival itself with stalls in the Public Hall, Church and around the centre of town.
| Time |
Description |
| 10.30 |
Chef Mark Dixon from The Kings Arms at Fleggburgh gives a demonstration from ingredients that he gathers whilst visiting the stalls at this year’s festival |
| 11.30 |
East Coast College student cookery demonstration
How to make a simple tasty dish at home using a cheaper cut of meat |
| 12.00 |
Talk by winemaker John Hemmant from Chet & Waveney Valley Vineyard |
| 12.30 |
Battle of the Bangers (cooked by East Coast College students)
Local butchers pit their sausages against each other, judged by YOU, come on they need your vote!! Judging to start 12:45 |
| 1.30 |
Chef instructor Marie Taylor cooks a game dish from the local estate at Sotterley |
| 2.15 |
Chef James Santello brings us one of his dishes from the kitchens of the Dukes Head in Somerleyton |
| 3.00 |
A cookery demonstration on the preparation, cooking and tasting of flash fried squid |
Photo credits: James Norman – Charlotte James Photography
If you would like to contact the Food Festival Committee please use the form below:
