EDP Bidwells Norfolk Food Festival

Knives and forks at the ready! Norfolk is going to have a new event to celebrate its amazing food story - but it's up to you to make it a success.

The Eastern Daily Press and Bidwells have teamed up to create the Norfolk Food Festival 2009, a showcase promotion that will highlight our breadth of quality produce, our heritage of food production and their importance to our general well-being.

The festival will run concurrently with the national Great British Food Fortnight, between September 19 and October 4, and already includes the EDP Norfolk Food Awards gala dinner at the Holiday Inn, Norwich on September 21, hosted by BBC Look East's Susie Fowler-Watt, and the Aylsham Food Festival between October 2-4.

“Whether you eat to live or live to eat there will be definitely be something that will appeal to your tastebuds,” said festival chairman Richard Woolliams. “Having been involved with the Norwich food festival from the start I have seen it grow to become something quite special. This year we take it countywide with a number of exciting events planned right across Norfolk.”

EDP deputy editor Pete Waters said the festival had a clear objective: “We want to create a celebration of our food story and an appreciation of its importance to the county - socially, environmentally and economically. Food at the table is a great way of bringing people together, and it's our belief that this food festival can do something similar.”

“We're looking to a pan-county festival that everyone can take part in and enjoy, but its success will depend on people and businesses getting involved, however small or ambitious they want to be,” he added.

James Brooke, Norfolk Head of Bidwells Rural Land & Business, said, “Bidwells are delighted, having now joined forces with the Eastern Daily Press, to be title sponsors of the EDP Bidwells Norfolk Food Festival 2009. Bidwells has a strong commitment to farming and to locally-produced food in Norfolk and the festival offers a unique link for farmers and growers, food and drink processors, retailers, restaurateurs and all those involved in the hospitality and tourism industries to showcase all that is good in Norfolk fare.”

For further information please contact:

• Richard Woolliams
• James Brooke
• The EDP