A SHOWCASE of all that is great about food and drink in Cumbria is drawing in the crowds this Easter weekend.

Food and drink producers from across the county are represented at the three-day Taste Cumbria Kirkby Lonsdale festival, which goes into its final day on Easter Sunday.

It has been busy in Market Square with more than 40 stalls, including Shed 1 Distillery of Ulverston and Grasmere Gingerbread. Visitors have been travelling from across the area, including Furness.

There are free demonstrations in Lunesdale Hall from local culinary experts. Young food fans are also well catered for with the children’s activities also taking place in Lunesdale Hall.

The Taste Cumbria Easter Brew has been specially created by Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery for the beer festival in The Royal Barn.

The festival has attracted a wealth of local support in 2017. Booths, which has a store in the town, is the newest sponsor of the event, alongside Hipping Hall, the country house hotel and restaurant at nearby Cowan Bridge, Mill House Cottages, which offers luxurious self catering accommodation, and Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery which has its base in the heart of the town. Speciality food supplier Udale is sponsoring the demonstration kitchen.

The Taste Cumbria festivals are organised by Carlisle-based CN Events in association with Cumbria Life

magazine. Event organiser Mandy Norwood of CN Events said: “It has been an absolute pleasure bringing Taste Cumbria to Kirkby Lonsdale. The local people and businesses have been so welcoming and it’s great to see how many of them have set up stalls in the producers’

markets. Grasmere Gingerbread had a sell-out first day and Two White Hats, one of our newest producers has caught the eye of Booths, one of the festival’s sponsors. It’s great to hear tales like that. We want all our producers to really get the most out of being here.

“The feedback from visitors has been lovely. People really appreciate quality local food and drink and that becomes more evident with every festival we do. This has been a brilliant launch for Taste Cumbria in 2017 and I’m really looking forward to Ulverston at the end of

May, then Whitehaven and Cockermouth later in the year. These events just get better and better.”

Thomas Marshall of The Fudge Bar is a regular at all the Taste Cumbria events across the county, usually with his twin boys, Thomas and Tyrone, in tow. He uses the shows as a way to promote the business’s regular stand in The Lanes in Carlisle. He said: “We’ve had a

great response from customers as usual. A lot of people are here for the weekend.

“It’s so important that local independent businesses do well and it’s great to see so many people supporting these festivals in Cumbria.”

Jeanette Wilde, of The Wilde Bakery Flapjacks in Bare, near Morecambe, said: “It’s such a nice

town. There was no way we could miss it as it is so local to us. Visitors have been having a bit of a ‘tasting morning’ then coming back in the afternoon to buy. It’s nice to browse and then go home satisfied.”

Oli Martin is head chef at Hipping Hall at nearby Cowan Bridge, which is one of the Taste Cumbria Kirkby Lonsdale sponsors. He was wowing the crowds with his inventive cooking using a kiln normally used by Miles Moore Ceramics of Lupton to create some quirky dishes.

They included carrots grown in sand in Yorkshire, which he wrapped in wild garlic, then baked in a salt crust. They were served with a fennel pollen yogurt and wild garlic oil. Siobhan Miles Moore, from Miles Moore Ceramics said: “That’s what every carrot wants to taste like.”

Mr Martin said: “I wanted to bring out all the flavours of Spring. I’ve had some really great comments from visitors and it’s brilliant to see such a good turnout for the first day of the festival.”


Taste Cumbria Ulverston in May


IT will be foodie heaven in Ulverston over the Spring Bank holiday weekend in May when Taste Cumbria returns for another fabulous festival.

Taste Cumbria Ulverston takes place on Saturday May 27 and Sunday 28 May. This is the fourth year that the market town has hosted the festival, which is supported by Ulverston Town Council.

Some 60 food and drink businesses from across the county will be selling and sampling their wares, with products ranging from cakes and chutney, to meat and cheese, as well as bread, vegetables, a boozy tipple or two, and homewares with a culinary theme.

Families can enjoy fun, foodie themed, hands-on children’s activities provided by our friends from Ford Park and there will be live demonstrations from some inspiring chefs and experts.

There will be a hot food and picnic area to find delicious treats from the finest producers and locally brewed beer.