The popular Southsea Food Festival, which is organised by Portsmouth City Council, will return on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July 2022, packed with over 40 stalls offering goodies from some of the best food and drink producers in the area.
Food lovers will be able to browse, sample and buy a wide range of products including sausages and bacon, pies, afternoon tea, chocolate, cheese and even Portsmouth gin.
This year the event covers a bigger area, taking in Palmerston, Clarendon and Osborne roads and Avenue De Caen. There will be some local road closures in place.
There will be two live music stages featuring local musical talent, family entertainment, plus loads of great tips from chefs, bakers and industry experts.
Councillor Steve Pitt, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Economic Development said: “Southsea Food Festival is such a popular and important community event and we are delighted to bring this event back this year. The passion and dedication that so many of Portsmouth’s food and drink businesses demonstrate is vital for our local economy. I urge residents and visitors to come along and see what local businesses have to offer.”
This year’s event is sponsored by the Queen’s Hotel and they are busy preparing for the event. Head of Pastry Chloe Barter loves the alchemy that results from mixing simple ingredients to create mouth-watering teatime treats. Visitors to Portsmouth’s ultimate food event will be able to sample her “afternoon tea in a box”.
Chloe Barter, Head of Pastry at the Queens Hotel said:
“We want to give visitors to the Southsea Food Festival a taster of what our afternoon tea is all about and I’m hoping to spend some time on the stand too.”
Her passion for pastry is palpable – and when you ask her to explain, the reason becomes clear.
“I love the fact you can take simple ingredients like milk, butter and flour and depending on the way you mix them you can create so many different things – I love the variables. To me choux pastry is a beautiful thing – and then there’s a macaron. Simple ingredients and together they make something incredible,”
Since she joined the team at the Queens Hotel, her afternoon tea has earned multiple plaudits and ecstatic reviews on Favourite Table and Tripadvisor. Every element of the tea is created from scratch, with only the clotted cream and jam being bought in.
“Afternoon tea is the perfect meal. It’s fancy but not too over the top. It’s something you can look forward to and a great excuse to get together with friends and family. It’s very British and the perfect mix of sweet and savoury. And I’m looking at making my own jam too. I love that everything is baked at the Queens Hotel and you can taste the freshness,”
Southsea Food Festival is a free event. For more information visit rediscover.co.uk
