Malmesbury gets tasty at new food and drink festival

Malmesbury is set to host its first major food and drink festival, with more than 60 stalls in the town showcasing producers across the region as well as local traders.

The day-long event, eat:Malmesbury takes place on Saturday 19 October, organised by eat:Festivals, an award-winning, not-for-profit West Country social enterprise that aims to connect communities with producers.

This is the first eat: Festival for Malmesbury and Wiltshire as a whole and comes as a result of the organisers approaching Malmesbury Town Council last year.

“The team at eat:Festivals felt Malmesbury would be a good first venue for them in Wiltshire, after many successful events across the West Country,” said Malmesbury Mayor Cllr Phil Exton.

“We are looking forward to welcoming them and pleased that local providers will be included, as well as many other West Country food and drink producers. It’s a great opportunity for local residents and visitors to taste different produce and discover what Malmesbury has available with great hotels, pubs, restaurants, cafes and takeaways, as well as enjoy all the festival has to offer.”

The event theme is ‘Taste Cook Grow’, encouraging visitors to try something new, cook and extend their palate.

There will be stalls in the High Street, Market Cross, in front of the Abbey, Birdcage Walk, and the Old School Room in the Town Hall. There will also be free entertainment around the festival.

The town’s retailers will remain open as usual including local food and drink outlets, cafes, pubs, and restaurants. Visitors are being encouraged to explore the whole town, including the food and hospitality venues at The Triangle, at the Westport end of town.

Around 60 food and drink producers will be taking part, as well as a number of Malmesbury community groups, including the award-winning Malmesbury Community Fridge team, part the HEALS of Malmesbury local charity.

Bev Milner Simonds, from eat:Festivals, said: “It has been a real pleasure getting to know Malmesbury better over the past few months. There are so many great producers in Wiltshire it is great to be able to showcase many at this new festival. On the day, visitors can expect to find farmers’ markets favourites like bread, ales and cheese alongside charcuterie, cakes and street food.”

The event runs from 10am to 4pm, with the upper High Street closed to traffic, as it is at other events including Petticoat Lane and Christmas Late Night Shopping.