River Cottage Festival, 25-26 August 2018
- Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Prue Leith, Satish Kumar, Caroline Lucas -
Over the late August bank holiday, festival goers can immerse themselves in all the delights River Cottage has to offer at the annual summer Festival. This laid-back weekend on 25-26 August is jam-packed with events including food masterclasses, wellbeing and yoga tents, live music and family-friendly festival fun.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will be in attendance and joined by Prue Leith, Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the Green Party and Satish Kumar, a former monk and long-term peace and environment activist. Also, on the line up are River Cottage regulars, foraging expert John Wright and River Cottage curing and smoking expert Steven Lamb, who will be hosting the Garden Stage over both days of the Festival.
The Festival Gig Nights will ensure the evenings at the River Cottage Festival are unforgettable with a brilliant line up of bands and musicians. On Saturday, folk rock and gypsy jazz band Mad Dog Mcrea will headline the main stage and get everyone up and dancing, while on Sunday, singer/songwriter Lauren Bannon, who takes influence from the likes of Sia and Norah Jones and was a finalist on BBC One’s The Voice, will perform.
Over the weekend there are masterclasses for adults and children. Kids can make their own pizza or summer fruit fool with cats’ tongue biscuits and crystallised flower petals, while the grownups can make gluten-free galettes or ferment seasonal produce into pickles and drinks with River Cottage resident nutrition guru Naomi Devlin.
The Fire Pit is a new cooking demo area at the Festival this year. Throughout the weekend, the chef’s demos will show why this ancient cooking technique has become such a roaring trend in the 21st century. Over the weekend cooks including James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat, food and travel writer John Gregory Smith; BBC One Masterchef runner-up Billy Wright, chef and food writer Oliver Rowe, supper club host Kathy Slack who writes the award-winning blog Gluts and Gluttony; Aine Carlin, the bestselling author of The New Vegan; artist, author, cook and stylist Alexandra Dudley; and cookery teacher and author of Mountain Berries and Dessert Spice Sumayya Usmani will be showing why this back to basics cooking with fire delivers smokingly good food.
Festival goers can see behind the scenes at River Cottage HQ and enjoy a Farmhouse Feast, with a changing 2 course menu with dishes made with fresh, homegrown ingredients from the kitchen garden. River Cottage street food will join forces with local producers including Rebel Town Pizza, Louisiana Chilli Shack, Baboo Gelato and Marourde Mead. There is also a fully licensed bar serving local ciders, craft beers and organic wines or visit the Cocktails under Canvas tent and take part in a wild cocktail masterclass.
Kick back and enjoy an experience at the Festival by shaking out any stress with a restorative yoga session or enjoying a holistic massage, reiki or aromatherapy. Gaze at the stars under expert tuition, learn a new willow weaving craft, take a guided wildlife walk or go foraging with River Cottage’s John Wright.
This year the Festival is sponsored by Pukka who will be offering their expertise on herbal wellbeing.
With a friendly party atmosphere, the whole family is welcome to stay the weekend. The grounds are open to campers, either to bring their own tent or to enjoy a glamping experience by booking a stay in a luxury bell tent. Arrive on the Friday for an exclusive campers’ party with food, drink and live music to kick off the weekend.
Visitors can choose from a variety of tickets including Weekend, Day & Gig Night, Daytime, Gig Night or Luxury Camping, all available from the River Cottage website. Children under the age of 16 go free.
For more information and to book event and masterclass tickets, please visit the website.
-Ends-
For further press information, interviews or images, please contact:
Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk
Notes to Editors
The River Cottage Festival will be at HQ on the weekend of 25-26 August
River Cottage HQ, Trinity Hill Road, Axminster, Devon, EX13 8TB
Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th August 2018
10am-11pm.
Tickets:
£10 (gig night 6-11pm)
£17.50 (day ticket 10am-6pm)
£25 (day& gig night ticket 10am-11pm)
£95 weekend camping ticket Friday 4pm-Monday 11am
Under 16’s go free
Glamping tents from £495 for 2 person tent for the weekend includes festival entrance & on-site parking
Free park and ride
About River Cottage:
River Cottage has been a household name in Britain since 1998, when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall first brought his hands-on, ethical food ethos to our TV screens. Since then, the River Cottage books, TV series and Hugh’s hard-hitting campaigns have changed the eating habits of the nation, as well as improving the welfare of our farm animals and the sustainability of our fish.
River Cottage HQ, situated on the Devon-Dorset border, is a thriving organic smallholding. It’s also home to a cookery school and chefs' school, and the base for unique dining experiences and events including weddings and private parties. There are River Cottage Kitchens in Axminster, Bristol and Winchester. These award-winning restaurants and delis manifest the River Cottage philosophy by using the very best seasonal ingredients from the surrounding area. Alongside fresh, seasonal fruit, veg and wild foods, the Kitchen menus showcase fish and shellfish from West Country day boats and organic meat and dairy products from local farms.