Food Festival Newport

 Sunday: Launch.  Monday: Chefs. Tuesday: Farming. Weds: Wild living.  Thursday: Food Fair.  Friday: Family and Community.  Saturday: Party

Register here 

Food stars who will be with us: Jenny Chandler on Monday, Carwyn Graves on Thursday, Simon Wright and Cris Tomos on Friday. The star list is expanding.

Sunday 29/10, the launch event in the boat club will look at wider horizons: Beyond our town and our food. As the sun sets over the sea we will acknowledge the threats ahead, and appreciate the organisations bringing the brilliance of resilience to the darkening skyline. Booking required

Monday 30/10 is chef demo and taster day at the Trewern Arms. Jenny Chandler, food leader, chef and writer will lead a childrens cooking activity at 3pm, at 6 Jessica Seaton, founder of Toast will ask her about her life and values before Jenny’s cookery demonstrations, finishing with tasters and light bites from her famous dishes based on the seasons and the land around.

Tuesday 31/10 is Farm day, with tours of Carn Edward on Carningli mountain, Cilfair in the Gwaun valley, and a talk by Carningli dairy in the evening at the Royal Oak Newport where another local ingredients dinner awaits. Two of the farmers have been here for generations, wedded to the land and community. They will tell the story of changing with the times, working with ancient breeds and kindly ways of farming. The third, a family brought up here but new to farming, their smallholding is inspired by regenerative farming, mob grazing and green building (of the hempcrete barn).

Wednesday 1/11 is wild living day. We have a tour of Beeview and lunch there. This is a treasure trove of invention and adaptation of surplus materials to create outdoor pest deterrents, biogas cooking living machine, wind turbine and indeed an entire home. The wild provides the base of their diet, along with the produce of the smallholding.

Thursday 2/11 is the FOOD FAIR in Newport hall. The list of food stalls is exceptional, all selected by invitation. They cover the essentials and luxuries, both innovative and homely foods. They are chosen for being local, sustainable made by great people with skill and dedication working with nature. Through the day producers give talks about their work in a separate room. Carwyn Graves, Welsh food historian and writer is our charismatic special guest. The fair ends by 6pm.

After the fair walk up the road to Llys Meddyg for a chocolate and wine tasting session. LLys Meddyg was the apothecary, where the doctor grew the herbs to cure the villagers, as the Welsh name reveals. The place is a tonic for the soul today.

Friday 3/11 is family harvest, cook and eating day. Starting with a visit to Nevern Valley veg, an organic market garden newly started on our doorstep, with some harvesting of produce to bring to Newport hall for a family cooking day with Myfanwy and others to lead children and parents to enjoy cooking and eating from the land around. Myfanwy’s cuisine is extraordinary.

Friday 3/11 evening we is a meeting to explore a local food culture and network, with Simon Wright of Wrights Emporium fame, and local community leader Cris Tomos from Planed hosting it. We will draw on the wisdom of the crowd to explore ways to a sustainable delicious food secure future.

Saturday4/11 – a party at the Trewern, with folk, band and more is brewing.

Some events require tickets, some require payment, others are free. Tickets other than the end of festival party are between £5 and £10. Email hello@grwp.wales or ring 07791 809 810