Enjoy a pizza hot from the oven of a fire engine at this month’s Nantwich Food and Drink Festival
One of the more unusual attractions at the Nantwich Food and Drink Festival, taking place over the weekend of September 4-6, will be a vintage fire engine that features a wood-fired oven. It offers the opportunity to enjoy a freshly cooked pizza straight from the fire engine. It belongs to Ben Rafferty, the owner of Residence, the fine dining restaurant in the town centre.
The 1958 Crommer Karrier fire engine has been lovingly restored and is driven gently by a 4.5l Rolls Royce engine. You may have already spotted it at other fairs and food festivals around the county. The fire engine is also available to hire for private events and children’s parties.
Ben said: ‘I wanted to do something fun with the family at food festivals. I got in touch with a friend who cooks food at various festivals around the UK and he suggested I find the quirkiest vehicle I could to stand out. After having a look online I saw fire engines in the States, but there wasn’t one in the UK.’
After logging onto a classic car website in November last year, Ben found the Crommer Karrier on sale in Macclesfield. ‘I went to see it and bought it there and then. I was very fortunate to have a friend who worked at an engineering company and we worked on it in the evening and weekends to install and get everything into place. We then launched it in January this year and we’ve had a fantastic reception. It’s great fun and each time I drive it I can’t help but smile.’
So, what else is on offer at this year’s Nantwich Food and Drink Festival? The event will celebrate all things foodie, with a particular focus on locally-produced food. Better still, there’s no admission fee.
Located in the picturesque town centre, there will be over 160 stalls showcasing a range of local culinary delights as well as more exotic street food from around the globe. Catch a chef demonstration or listen to one of the many musicians performing on two sound stages.
You may be thinking that as an historic market town, parking will be limited, especially with the volume of visitors expected. However, there will be park and ride facilities, taking the hassle out of parking. There are also various train and bus services available.w
The Nantwich Food and Drink Festival, September 4 – 6. Visit www.nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk for more information.
