The 7th Beccles Food and Drink Festival came to a very successful end on Saturday 28th May and the organising committee would like to thank all of the volunteers, stall holders, supporters, musicians and the visitors for making it such a great day.
The sun came out for most of the day but the occasional shower did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds of people who turned up.
The new layout appears to have been a success, with the food theatre behind the church and the extended seating, sponsored by Fred Olsen travel, within New Market were also well used.
The music license allowed us to promote the musicians throughout the day and the music played a big part in making the event a lively affair.
Our celebrity Chef, Richard Bainbridge, was a big hit with his demonstration in the theatre drawing large and appreciative crowds. With the Punch and Judy shows, sponsored by East of England Coop, keeping the children entertained, families play a big part in our event.
The Festival is always well supported by Beccles Town Council and the mayor spent considerable time diligently selecting the winners of the the Mayors Award, sponsored by Sweeties, for the best stall, which this year went to the Tiny Tipple Company.
We would finally like to thank the residents of Beccles for leaving the New Market area free of vehicles so the setup in the morning could go ahead unhindered and the visitors and stallholders for leaving the festival area virtually litter free, which made the clear up at the end of the day a fairly simple activity.
As we move into summer the organising team will be taking a break and the planning for next year’s event will start in September. If anyone is interested in helping please feel free to contact us at info@becclesfoodfestival.co.uk.
Best Wishes
Beccles Food and Drink Festival Organising Team
Next Beccles Food and Drink Festival will be on Saturday 27th May 2023
Beccles Food & Drink Festival Schedule of Events
This year there were a number of events happening around the town.
Here is a list of some of the highlights.
Beccles Food & Drink Festival Cookery Theatre
This year the Cookery Theatre was located behind St. Michael’s Church, with directional signs leading visitors to this amazing vista over the Waveney Valley..
Our headline chef in the Cookery Theatre was Richard Bainbridge, chef owner of Benedicts Restaurant in Norwich. Originally from the city, Richard has worked his way through some of the most amazing restaurants and countries across the globe. He has worked for Michel Roux Senior at the 3 Michelin Starred Waterside Inn, for Günter Seeger (NY), Kevin Thornton (Dublin) and upon his return to Norfolk he was head chef at Galton Blackiston’s Morston Hall.
Richard, with his wife, Katja, opened Benedicts in June 2015, which since opening has been named in The Times Top 100 Restaurants in the UK. Benedicts was awarded 3 AA Rosettes in January 2018.
In 2015 he won BBC2’s Great British Menu and returned in 2017 as a judge on the programme judging the chefs of the central region.
A full schedule of events at the Cookery Theatre will be available shortly before the event and will be posted on Social Media and on this website.
Grazing Trail for 2022 Festival
The Grazing Trail map was displayed around the town and this year there were Festival Hosts available to help you with information about locations of your favorite stalls and updates on the Cookery Theatre Schedule and other entertainment throughout the town.
MAYOR’S AWARD FOR BEST STALL APPEARANCE
Once again we were able to run a Mayor’s Award for the best stall kindly sponsored by Sweeties of New Market, Beccles .
This year the award went to the Tiny Tipple company with their selection of infused spirits and liqueurs.
Food Festival Fringe Saturday 14 May to Sunday 12 June
As part of our 2022 Festival we once again introduced our Fringe events which this year ran from Saturday 14th May until Sunday 12th June. These were very successful when we introduced the Fringe in 2019 and a number of businesses in Beccles and the surrounding area (within a 15 mile radius) have agreed to participate..
Details of the events can be found below and will appear on Social Media. So you can see those which are still available for you to attend.
When: Every day –8.30 – 11.30
Where: Relish 2 – 4 Market Row Beccles NR34 9HF
Facebook – Relish Café and Sandwich Bar
What: Start the day with our super healthy breakfast – freshly made low fat hommade superbreakfast smoothie or build your own breakfast bowl, choosing from seeds, nuts, fresh berries, granola and yoghurt
Cost: Starting from £3
When: Every Weds to Sun5 til 9pm
Where: Suffolk Stonehouse 18 St Mary’s Street Bungay NR35 1AX
www.suffolkstonehouse.co.uk
What: Food Festival Pizza Special, locally sourced egg and asparagus, peas, hollandaise, optional local ham with choice of local Bull of the Woods beer, Calvors lager, or local fruit juice
Cost: £15 for pizza special and drink
When: Thursday 19th May5.00 – 8.30
Where: The Old Dairy 12 – 14 Hungate Beccles NR34 9TT
Max number 31
What: The Old Dairy’s Mexican Fiesta ¡Hola! Fancy some good Mexican food and fun atmosphere without the plane tickets and jet lag, then the answer might be our Mexican Night at The Old Dairy in May!
Cost: £32 for 2 courses, £40 for 3 courses
When: Friday 20th May 6 – 10pm
Where: The Racehorse Mill Common, Westhall IP19 8RQ
www.westhallpub.com
What: The famous Southwold Fish Hut is coming to the Racecourse.They will serve you wonderfully fresh fish, locally sourced and prepared to order.
When: Saturday 21st MayMidday – 10pm
Where: The Butchers Arms London Road Beccles NR34 9YT
The Butchers Arms (mypub.org.uk)
What: Beccles Brew Co 3rd Birthday – New Beer Launch and Tap Takeover
When: Thursday 26th May and Friday 27th May 6.45
Where: Earsham Street Cafe 11 Earsham Street Bungay NR35 1EE
Max number of guests 46
What: Persian Tasting Evening.
Persian food is said to be difficult to define, but impossible to resist!
The 6 course tasting menu is a selection of delicious food created with a blend of aromatic herbs & subtle fragrant spices.
Cost: £29.95
When: Friday 27th May 12pm-11pm
Where: Shadingfield Fox London Road, Shadingfield, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 8DD
Max number of guests 400
www.shadingfieldfox.com Facebook – Shadingfield Fox
What: Beer Festival – 4 local breweries 8pm Live music from The Cruisers
When: Saturday 28th May 12pm-11pm
Where: Shadingfield Fox London Road, Shadingfield, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 8DD
Max number of guests 400
www.shadingfieldfox.com Facebook – Shadingfield Fox
What: Beer Festival – Bar Menu and Specials. 6pm Open Mic
When: Sunday 29th May 12pm-11pm
Where: Shadingfield Fox London Road, Shadingfield, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 8DD
Max number of guests 400
www.shadingfieldfox.com Facebook – Shadingfield Fox
What: Beer Festival –BBQ & sharing platters 12pm – 6pm Afternoon live music from Father and Son duo Marc Anthony & Isaac
When: Friday 27th May6 – 10pm
Where: The Racehorse Mill Common, Westhall IP19 8RQ
www.westhallpub.com
What: Suffolk Sausages cooked by our Guest Chef
When: Friday 27th May 6.30 -8.30
Where: Baileys
Max number of guests 38
Baileys Delicatessen – Suffolk, ENG – Home
What: Baileys invites you to join us for an evening of local cheese inspired dishes prepared by our head chef and owner Paul Buck. Some dish are paired and some dished are created with different local drinks which has been selected to compliment their flavours. Five course meal and drinks
Contact: 01502 710609 baileysbeccles@gmail.com
Cost: £55
When: Sunday 5th June 13.00 – 15.00
Where: Quaff East 33a Newgate, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 9B
Max number of guests 10
What: Coffee Afternoon – Speciality Coffee – From Farm to Cup An exploration of the processes used to get coffee from the farms it’s grown on to your cup
When: Thursday 2nd June6.30 pm
Where: Clink’s Care Farm Church Road Toft Monks Beccles NR34 0ET
30www.clinkscarefarm.org
What: “Supper at the Farm” – a guided walk of the farm, canapes and a 2 course supper. Produce goody bag and recipe ideas to take home Soft drinks provided – bring your own alcohol
localfood@clinkscarefarm.org
Contact: 01502 679134 / 07881 105191
Cost: £25
When: Sunday 12th June 3.00pm – 7.00pm
Where: The Old Bank Tearoom 8 Market place Bungay NR35 1AR
30https://www.facebook.com
theoldbankbungay
What: An afternoon of live 1940s music with singing duo The Vibettes. Dress up and sing along for extra fun. There’s an all-you-can-eat buffet afternoon tea for everyone.
Cost: £30
Below is the map of Beccles showing the locations of the Food festival, the Park & Ride and the Stallholders parking. There will be lots of roadside signage on the day directing you to all of these places.
Thanks to PPL PRS, we were able to have music at our Festival on Saturday 28th May under their Charity and Community Scheme.
With the benefit of a licence, we can publish who is playing where around Sheepgate, New Market and St. Michael’s Church. We had a number of designated spots for invited musicians and bands to add to the atmosphere of the event by performing between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m
This year we have been fortunate enough to receive some sponsorship from local organisations.
East Suffolk District Council have provided some financial support to assist with the hiring of the Marquee under which the Cookery Theatre will be housed behind the church.
East of England COOP have kindly agreed to sponsor the Punch and Judy entertainment which will be located as usual behind the church.
If you would like to contact the Food Festival Committee please use the form below:
