5 reasons to visit Powderham Food Festival

Powderham Food Festival, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, returns to the historic castle on the banks of the River Exe on October 2-3

1. Eat extremely well

Visitors will need to dig out their trousers with the stretchiest waistband to accommodate a full day of gourmet eating and drinking. In addition to streetfood stalls serving a globetrotting array of tempting dishes, gastronauts will have opportunities to pick up artisanal treats from a wide range of indie food and drink producers. Refreshment will come from pop-up bars selling quality small-batch tipples.

2. Explore the grounds

Powderham’s scenic setting is astonishingly beautiful. The castle, which is over 600 years old, sits within an ancient deer park on the banks of the River Exe, just south of Exeter. Verdant grounds and tranquil gardens surround the historic property.

3. Unmissable demos

Home cooks will want to hotfoot it to the demonstration tent to feast their eyes on lively demos from a host of South West chefs and producers. Previous headline acts have included the likes of Nick Evans, head chef lecturer at Rick Stein Cookery School, and Ashburton Cookery School’s chef director Darrin Hosegrove.

Powderham’s chilli eating contest

4. Family-friendly entertainment

Little ones can get stuck into the Powderham Food Festival fun, too. Entertainment ranges from garden games and mini golf to meeting cute animals – think alpaca visits, goat walks and pony rides – and watching Dan The Hat’s kids’ show.

5. Foodie competitions

Fancy yourself as a champion chilli eater or scone baker? Throughout the weekend, ticket holders can get involved in foodie competitions including the popular chilli eating contest and Game of Scones showdown.