A food and drink festival is returning to a Cotswolds market tow for the second year running. After a successful event in 2022 the Stroud Festival of Food and Drink is back this week.
Guardian food writer and anti-povery campaigner Jack Monroe will be making an appearance as well as wine connoisseur Oz Clarke who will be giving a wine masterclass. Taking place mostly around the town centre, for 2023 there will be plenty of cookery demos from worldwide and UK chefs, as well as ones closer to home here in Gloucestershire.
From the 19 to 21 May, venues include the Stroud Subscription Rooms, Bank Gardens, Lansdown Hall, Cornhill, The Five Valleys Shopping Centre and Fawkes Place.
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Guest speakers and masterclasses will take place in the Subscription Rooms with Jack Monroe kicking off the talks with an In Conversation event on Friday 19. Her seventh book Thrifty Kitchen was released in January 2023 and contains over 120 brand-new, delicious, low-cost recipes.
A wine masterclass will be on Saturday 20 with Oz Clarke, who makes a second return to the event. Best known for his tasting skills and programmes with former BBC Top Gear presenter James May such as Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure, he'll be talking wine tasting tips, chat and of course all things wine.
All the food demonstrations will be free to attend at Lansdown Hall, featuring chefs around Stroud, such as Erin Baker, a plant based chef at the Natural Cookery School in Nailsworth, Matt Beardshall from Wilder restaurant also in Nailsworth and Giffords Circus very own "circus chef" Ols Halas.
The Festival, in partnership with Waitrose, will also involve promotion of restaurants, cafes and shops in Stroud town centre as well as the Cornhill playing host to the regular Stroud Farmers Market every Saturday. A vegan alley and vegan fair will also be taking place.
Ticketed events are available to purchase at the Sub Rooms box office in person and here online.
Parking for the event will involve using the numerous car parks dotted around the town, recycling bins are around to be used, all drinking cups are fully compostable and organisers also say that no street drinking will be allowed under Stroud Town Council policy.
Below is a map of the festival and a list of everything taking place with the Festival running from Friday through to Sunday evening.
Friday 19 May
Saturday 20 May
Sunday 21 May
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