Nicky Hancock talks us through the menu for this month’s Great Bath Feast.
Autumn is a time for comfort food indulgence and the Great Bath Feast turns up the heat to celebrate all things foodie throughout October in the world heritage city. From celebrity chefs to artisan cheese festivals, gastro pubs to fine wines, supper clubs to great gourmets, cookery schools to chilli festivals, the Great Bath Feast brings the best of the West to the table.
The celebrity line-up reads like a who’s who of gastronomy with Bath-born Mary Berry, Angela Hartnett, Nathan Outlaw, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jenny Chandler, Raymond Blanc, Michael Caines and Prue Leith getting involved.
The West Country is famed for its abundance of fresh succulent produce, farmers markets, beers and ales. Meet some of the nation’s top artisan cheese makers brought to Milsom Place by the Fine Cheese Co. or hone your skills with Michelin-starred master classes at the Bertinet Kitchen.
Demuth’s Vegetarian Cookery School takes you on a tour of global cuisines, explore the best of local and seasonal ingredients at Lucknam Park Cookery School, or go Italian and make your own risotto at Carluccio’s. You can even see how the Georgians did their feasting at the newly re-opened No 1 Royal Crescent.
Taste a world of wines with Great Western Wines’ impressive Portfolio Tasting at the Assembly Rooms, featuring more than 100 tastings and talks with Raisin Wines.
The Tasting Room and The Allium Brasserie bring wine experts from Burgundy, Portugal and New Zealand to Bath. Don’t miss food and beer matching plus brewery tours with Bath Ales at their Bath hostelries, The Hop Pole, The Salamander and Graze in SouthGate.
Game will be big with special nights at gastro pubs like the King William and The Marlborough Tavern so make time to wine and dine with friends and family and explore new flavours with the menu of opportunities presented by the Great Bath Feast.
Baking is back in a big way with Bath-born Mary Berry headlining Topping & Company’s Autumn Book Fest with her new autobiography. Sally Lunn’s historic buns made to a secret recipe invite scientist Stan Cauvain to discuss the virtue of bread making and the Fabulous Baker Brothers make a guest appearance at Bath’s fabulous independent kitchen emporium Kitchens.
Food takes to the street with the Green Street food festivals and the Love Food Festival. Celebrate all things spicy at the Big Bath Chilli Weekend or find out how hot you can take it on chili Tuesday at the Great Bath Feast Pavilion (you cannot miss it in the city centre) with Chilli Tuesday, plus a packed programme of chef’s demos and debates from 12-20 October.
Coordinated by Bath Tourism in partnership with the Bath Business Improvement District, the feastival is a great opportunity to try something new with fab foodie offers and special menus across the city.
Champion local food with Bath’s specialist food shops and superb delis, or check out some great deals and special menus at greatbathfeast.co.uk n
