MESSAGE FROM LESLEY WATERS
Festival Patron

I am delighted to welcome you to the ninth Christchurch Food and Wine Festival. Every year the Festival just gets better and better. 

For the first time last year we were able to enjoy the improved demonstration facilities in Saxon Square alongside the International Street Market thanks to generous sponsors which consist mainly of local business people and especially Dr Alastair Somerville Ford our main supporter. I am again looking forward to appearing in the Rangemaster Demonstration Theatre and will be attending the Festival both on the Friday for the Education Day and on Saturday when I will be opening the Festival with my old friend Brian Turner OBE.  You will certainly be able to enjoy some light hearted banter when we do our first demonstration together after the opening ceremony. On Sunday I know that you will enjoy the visit of another old friend of mine Nick Nairn, who is well known to many of you from his many TV appearances and now runs his own cookery school near Stirling in Scotland. For those of you wishing to meet the celebrity chefs you can book lunch at Splinters and the Captains Club, which entitles you to a VIP seat at the cookery demonstrations. Another highlight this year will be appearances by a chef and guests from our twin town of Christchurch New Zealand. This is their first visit to the Festival and we hope to make them really welcome.

We also have two great evening events in the marquee where you can get the flavour of your favourite holiday destinations by island hopping with superb food prepared by local chef Ian Hewitt and kick start the summer with a New Zealand beach BBQ cooked by our special guest chefs from New Zealand. There will be fantastic fun and entertainment on both evenings.

For those chocoholics among you we have special demonstrations from expert chocolatier Paul Hartley both in the Rangemaster kitchen and at the Captains Club Hotel. For those who love history The Red House Museum is doing a recipe trail around the museum with recipes from the 18th to mid 20 century and, just around the corner, The Thomas Tripp Public House are celebrating local crustaceans with Mudeford Crab sandwiches and Posh Nosh available all week. Newcomers the Blend Smoothie Bar in the High Street are offering a Boozy Blend evening and the new Cliffhanger Café on Highcliffe seafront is having a traditional British classic food evening with their own special twist. Highcliffe Castle will be inviting you to an evening showing the new look interior of the Castle followed by a cheese and wine evening and Riverside Sopley Mill are suggesting that you dust off your flares and wear them to a 70’s style dinner with retro dishes.

These are just some of the events on offer, but for those of you who just fancy a quiet lunch or dinner then we have 7 businesses offering 2 courses for a tenner or 3 for £15 at lunch or dinner. These cover a wide range of cafés and restaurants throughout the Borough so there will be something to suit everyone’s taste.

I am really looking forward to seeing you there!