BILL ELMS ASSOCIATES I PRESS RELEASE
10 APRIL 2014 I FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEAST OF FUN AT WIRRAL’S CLAREMONT FARM
Previously known as Wirral Food and Drink Festival, the new and improved Farm Feast – a fully
fledged family festival of food and drink, music and farming fun will take over Claremont Farm this
May Bank Holiday (May 25 and 26 2014) keeping quality local, seasonal and artisan food and drink
at its heart. Save the date now, as this family bank holiday feast of good wholesome fun is set to be
the perfect start to the summer!
Set in the idyllic rolling fields of Claremont Farm, Farm Feast boasts a wide range of family friendly
activities and events suitable for all ages, from mouth-watering demonstrations to live music from
established and new local artists. Elements of the old festival that visitors know and love, such as
the farmers’ market, a wide variety of stalls from the region’s top food and drink producers and
exhibitors, and the ever popular ‘Sheep Show’ will also be making their way back to the site.
Adults can enjoy a Beer and Cider Festival, with over 40 ales and ciders showcasing the quality and
diversity of the region’s brewers and Liverpool’s renowned Berry and Rye and Aloha, will have a
stunning range of cocktails on offer. Other attractions will include Vintage Village where retro
fashionistas can rummage through campervan thrift shops, learn to swing dance to gypsy jazz music
or visit the tea tent and savour on vintage style street food.
For delicious taster sessions and hands-on workshops, visit The Good Life Marquee, which will
feature plenty of special demonstrations, talks and ʻhave a goʼ exhibits. This is set to be a fascinating
and engaging area of the festival where visitors will have a chance to learn skills such as how to
make sausages, brew beer and keep bees. An International Street Food Market will be taking place
on site where a fantastic selection of traders from across the country will deliver an abundance of
dynamic street food in celebration of the colours, flavours and aromas of culinary cultures from
across the world.
The Chef’s Demo Stage will focus on clever and innovative cooking of fresh ingredients by some of
the Northwest region’s most talented chefs including Great British Bake off finalist Brendan Lynch
who will wow visitors with his flamboyant and beautiful baking talents, Curry guru Nisha Katona and
TV’s gastronomic chef Stefan Gates who will show visitors the science behind cookery in an
explosive fashion! These celebrity chefs will be joined by several acclaimed local and regional food
heroes including Adam Franklin, chef at Liverpool Yacht club, arguably the purveyor of Liverpool
best Sunday roast, and the brand new head chef at Liverpool’s acclaimed London Carriageworks,
Dave Critchley.
Other demonstrations will include a master chocolatier demo from The Chocolate Cellar, Cheese
Making with The City Cottage and Chorlton Cheese, a Butchery Masterclass from Edge & Son, and a
Drinks and Punches Masterclass with cocktail expert Pedro Hunter.
Kids won’t be bored as they will have their very own Little Feasters area, jam packed with interactive
storytelling, bush craft workshops, cookery lessons and educational fun and games. The Food and
Farming Tents, one of the most popular areas of the festival, will have live animals on show such as
calves, pigs and sheep. From a fascinating birds of prey display to cupcake decorating, and
everything else in between, kids will have loads to explore.
The festival’s two daytime music stages can promise an eclectic line up. Liverpool promoters
Mellowtone and The Dovedale Social, both well known and respected on the city’s music scene,
present the Courtyard Stage and Main Stage respectively.
Sunday 25 May will see Beaten Tracks DJs, Emilio Pinchi, Charley Blue, David Hirst, The South
Bound Attic Band, Mikey Kenney, Mike Badger & the Shady Trio and Rob Vincent (acoustic) grace
the Courtyard Stage. The Sunday line up on the Main Stage will feature The Rangoon Sons, Roxanne
Jones, The Levons, Springtime Anchorage, City Walls, Rob Vincent, Ottersgear and Reva.
On Monday 26 May, Main Stage audiences will be entertained by Wirral Ukulele Orchestra,
Dominic Dunn, The Ragamuffins, Silent Sleep, Mono LPs, Natalie McCool and Sugarmen, while the
Courtyard Stage will play host to The Hazel Empire, Sparkwood & 21, Cousin Jac, Paul Straws, Silent
Sleep (acoustic), The Mono LPs (acoustic) and Beaten Tracks DJs.
The weekend will also feature a separate festival-style evening music event - Livestock! Located at
the Lower Meadow, the event will take place on the evening of Sunday 25 May from 7-11pm and
will feature Joy Division and New Order’s Peter Hook with his current band The Light, supported by
Liverpool band Stealing Sheep, Merseyrail Sound Station 2013 winners Soho Riots, and other
support acts still to be announced. The site will include all the best food traders from Farm Feast’s
International Street Food Court, a fantastic cocktail bar and a Beer & Cider Festival tent. Tickets are
currently available at a £15 advance ticket price. Livestock, like Farm Feast, is open to all ages but
under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Farm Feast is a held in the lush green fields of Claremont Farm. The Farm is located in beautiful
countryside in the heart of the Wirral and famous for its asparagus, strawberries and potatoes. This
idyllic setting is the perfect backdrop for this exciting event.
www.farmfeast.co.uk
Tweet @FarmFeastFest
Facebook.com/FarmFeastFest
Tickets on sale NOW, exclusively from See Tickets: http://www.seetickets.com/event/farmfeast/claremont-farm/755316
Claremont Farm is situated on Old Clatterbridge Road, Bebington, Wirral CH63 4JB
Directions and public transport information can be found here:
http://www.claremontfarm.co.uk/contact.html
-EndsNotes to Editors:
For more information, hi-res images or interviews please contact Jenny Morgan at Bill Elms
Associates: jenny@billelms.com or 0151 235 0136
Chef’s Biographies
Nisha Katona is a British born Indian and full time barrister, who at heart is a dedicated curry evangelist. She
has spent her life between India and England and burns with a desire to convey the shrouded formulas of curry
making, from her ancestral Indians, to her beloved Brits. She has spent many years teaching Indian cookery to
all age groups. Her lessons trace the evolution of Indian cuisine through the culture and history of India. She is
in the process of writing her first book with the aim of imparting the secret formulas of the Indian kitchen,
freeing curry cooks from slavishly following recipes.
Stefan Gates, ‘The Gastronaut’, is renowned for his love of quirky culinary quests and extraordinary food
adventures - fascinated by unusual ingredients and recipes, very often blowing them up in the process! He has
had a number of successful TV shows, including BBC1’s Food Factory and Incredible Edibles on CBBC. He’ll be
entertaining and educating all over the festival this year, showcasing his talents in the Chef’s Theatre and
inspiring younger audience in the Little Feasters area. Stefan performs live shows to huge acclaim at some of
the UK’s most prestigious science and food festivals, including the vast NEC Big Bang Fair run by Engineering
UK. He has also appeared at BBC Good Food Show, Cambridge Science Festival, Jamie’s Big Feastival,
Cheltenham Science Festival, Ideal Home Show, Wellcome Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Liverpool Food Festival,
Abergavenny Food Festival. He’s current holder of Cheltenham Science Festival’s Overambitious Demo
Challenge.
Brendan Lynch is known for being one of the finalist for The Great British Bake Off in 2012 and is currently
giving cookery lessons at a new state-of-the-art training school at Caxton Hall, a converted stable set in
beautiful countryside and proving to be a very popular and talented teacher. He also gives talks and
demonstrations at venues throughout the UK.