Wow what am amazing weekend at Dartmouth Food festival. Despite the end of October weather ranging from super sunny to torrential rain, the crowds had come from far and wide and enjoyed another fabulous three days on the south Devon coast.

With its aim of not being just another big farmers’ market, the festival ticks many boxes including –

• The ever popular chefs’ theatre
• A day specifically for local schools
• Hands on workshops
• Book talks
• Tastings – both food and wine
• Talks on current foodie themes and trends
• Lots of regional stall holders and street food sellers
• Dinners put on by local restaurants and the festival itself
• A free community lunch to use up any leftover ingredients which fed 60 pensioners on the Monday following the festival

The nature of Dartmouth keeps the festival as a free-to-enter event so the work to put the festival on starts early in the year with the volunteer team working hard to get the biggest bang for their not very substantial buck. Funding comes via the market stall holders, sponsorship, friends of the festival, ticketed events and its own merchandise as well as some bucket shaking over the weekend and auctioning off various goodies.

Another great benefit is seeing so many of the Guild’s members taking part right through the weekend and getting together for a catch up. This year we saw Orlando Murrin, Felicity Pike, Charlotte Pike, Mary Cadogan, Romy Gill, Sam Bilton, Jane Baxter, Susy Atkins, Matt Tebbutt, Richard Bertinet and Henrietta Green as well as Mitch Tonks of the Seahorse bringing Angela Hartnett, Luke Holder, Mark Hix and Valentine Warner to join in as well.

As a former member of the organising team and having started the workshops, food talks and book talks, it’s such a pleasure to see the festival going from strength to strength. It’s also a massive bonus to enjoy the festival mainly as a visitor and not constantly checking things off my things to do list or being on the go for 18 hours a day (apart from perhaps a little too much partying on the Saturday!)

Next year’s festival is set for the same weekend – 20^th-22^nd October 2023. If any of you have books coming out next year and would like to get involved then do get in touch with Helen Lloyd via adamandhelen@yahoo.co.uk It really is a fantastic event.