September / October foodie diary

The latest South West foodie news and events for your calendar

Hygge-inspired feasting

Bedruthan, located in the calming coastal oasis of Mawgan Porth, is a dreamy spot for a hygge-style supper. The hotel’s Fire & Feast events (pictured top, taking place on September 1, 14 and 29) spark an opportunity to sip cocktails and tuck into a seasonal meal with friends, before wrapping up in blankets and gathering round the firepit to toast marshmallows and watch the sunset. Tickets from £50.

Pints and pottery

Ceramicists Naomi Stokes and Meredith Mason of Pottymouth Workshop in Bristol (pictured below) are collaborating with local brewery Wiper and True for an evening of pints and pottery at its taproom on September 6. During the workshop, attendees will learn how to craft their own mug while also sampling some top-barrel beer. Tickets cost £35, or £31.50 for students.

Crack(l)ing finale

Portscatho’s The Hidden Hut will round off its summer feast nights with a slap-up pork supper on September 6. Pack tableware, tipples and cosy clothing and then make tracks to the remote Cornish coastal location for an all-weather alfresco feast of Curgurrell pork slow-roasted over applewood and served with crisp crackling, braised fennel and hispi cabbage, potato rosti and confit apple. Tickets cost £19.

Vintage flicks and fine wine

Bristol Film Festival hosts unique cinema experiences across the city year-round, but the wine-matched movie nights at Averys Wine Cellars in September are not to be missed. The collab evenings kick off with a pre-screen wine tasting then, as the classic film rolls, guests can enjoy themed wine pairings and a deli box of local cheeses, chutneys and crackers. Showings at the cellar include Roman Holiday on September 6, Kiss Me Kate on September 29 and Vertigo on September 30. Tickets from £26.

Eat your way across east Devon

Regional chefs, artisan producers and indie food and drink businesses have planned a smorgasbord of unique foodie events from September 9-24 for Taste East Devon Festival. Check the website for the full list of events, ranging from foraging experiences to vineyard tours and cocktail masterclasses.

All board the ACE

Hop aboard the Atlantic Coast Express (also known as ACE, pictured below) on September 15 for its last Camel Trail Supper Club of the year. The vintage train carriage on the former railway line (now a leisure trail) between Padstow and Wadebridge hosts seven alfresco feasts over summer. Chef David Sharland conducts the kitchen and has planned a fabulous Cornish feed for the final supper club of 2023. Tickets from £35.

Time & Tide

On September 21, chef Emily Scott will be interviewed by Food’s editorial director Jo Rees at Appledore Book Festival in north Devon. They’ll be chatting about Emily’s new book, Time & Tide, and her experience of opening a restaurant in Watergate Bay and cooking for world leaders at the G7 summit. Tickets cost £12 and include treats.

Cheers to good beer

Verdant Brewing Co will host its third instalment of the Falmouth Beer Trail on September 22-24. The team at the Cornish brewery have curated over 50 delicious beers from 13 UK breweries, which will be poured in six locations across the coastal town in what they’re calling ‘a treasure hunt for beer lovers‘.

Bath banquet

Hit the honey-coloured city on September 22-24 to join The Great Bath Feast (pictured below). The free-to-attend food and drink celebration will host a huge market filled with stalls from regional producers, alongside a chef’s theatre where the likes of Ping Coombes, Richard Bertinet, Chris Cleghorn and Mark Hix will share their culinary secrets.

Bib and mallets at the ready

Seafood fans will be delighted to discover that Rockfish Crab Festival will be returning to the Royal Dart Yacht Club on September 28. Splash out on a £125 ticket to savour a three-course seafood feast cooked by Mitch Tonks, Matt Tebutt, and the Rockfish and Seahorse teams. Alternatively, snap up a £25 ticket to enjoy casual barbecue food and drinks, and live entertainment.

Sup under the stars

Round off summer in spectacular style with a starlit supper at Glove Factory Studios in Bradford-on-Avon. Its Summer Fire & Feast event on September 29 includes drinks round the firepit and a three-course meal cooked over coals by the chefs of on-site cafe Wild Herb at The Field Kitchen. Tickets cost £42.

Wells hoopla

Visit Wells Food Festival on October 8 to browse over 200 foodie stalls in a bustling artisan market, sample English wines and scoff delicious street food. There’ll also be the opportunity to attend talks at the Food for Thought stand held by local Somerset charities, which will delve into issues such as food poverty, food waste and high energy bills.

Slurps up!

Falmouth Oyster Festival returns to the coastal town on October 12-15 for more mollusc-themed mayhem. The festival celebrates the start of oyster dredging season with food stalls serving fresh Cornish seafood (including, you guessed it, native oysters), a shucking competition, Champagne bar, cookery demos from local chefs, an arts and crafts market and live music.

Delicious day out in Dartmouth

Block out October 20-22 in your diary for a trip to Dartmouth Food Festival. The free harbourside event will feature workshops, tastings, competitions, demos and over 100 handpicked foodie exhibitors from the region.

Farm-to-table supper

Looking for a new supper club to sink your teeth into? Castle Farm near Bath hosts a weekly Saturday evening feast at its rustic barn, which consists of a five- or six-course menu based on a monthly theme. The candlelit meal also includes matched wines, bespoke cocktails and a live-action view of the open kitchen. Tickets cost £58.

New vineyard alert

South Devon is well established in the English wine scene as a region creating exceptional drops, but a new winery and cafe in Saunton is introducing the county’s northern coastline into the fold. The winemakers at Saunton Vineyard (located a mile from the beautiful Saunton Sands beach) planted non-traditional grape varieties in 2019, and now visitors can taste the fruits of their labour and tour the vines following its summer launch.

Visit to sample the first release which includes low-intervention wines Longboarder (white), Wild Burrows (orange), Bay (rosé), Double Barrel (sparkling white), Crow (sparkling pet nat white) and Puts (sparkling pet nat rosé).

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