Published December 5th, 2016
Padstow welcomed over 50,000 visitors to Cornwall’s largest food festival last weekend, marking for many the start of the Christmas season.
The event, which took place from Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 December, featured demo’s from a roster of chefs which read like a ‘who’s who’ of the culinary world, including Tom Kerridge, Sat Bains and Clare Smyth. Now in its ninth year, the event has become an integral part of Cornwall’s food and drink calendar.
The Mail on Sunday’s restaurant critic Tom Parker Bowles, who took part in Saturday’s food forum, tweeted:
Thank you, @PadstowXmas and @Rick_Stein, for a glorious festival. Pure, unalloyed joy.
— Tom Parker Bowles (@tomparkerbowles) December 4, 2016
Chef Gizzi Erskine also commented on Twitter:
Truly the best food festival. ? https://t.co/G9zfLZ8b35
— Gizzi Erskine (@GizziErskine) December 4, 2016
In addition to celebrity chef demonstrations, visitors enjoyed shopping at over 100 stalls in the Christmas market, and were treated to live music throughout the weekend. A spectacular fireworks display entertained crowds on Friday night which followed the annual lantern parade led by Father Christmas.
Tina Evans, festival organiser, said, “It has been another great year and I am very grateful to the team of loyal volunteers who make the festival possible.
“I would like to say a big thank you to those who visited and also to the chefs for their fantastic demos. Special thanks go to Nathan Outlaw, Paul Ainsworth and Rick Stein for the hard work they put into the event each year. We’re already looking forward to planning our tenth Christmas festival, many of this year’s visitors have already booked their accommodation for 2017.”
Tina Evans runs the free-to-attend event with a team of dedicated volunteers, many of whom have been involved since the first festival in 2008. The festival is also supported by a number of sponsors including Sharp’s Brewery, Bookers and St Austell Brewery.
Nick White, events manager for Sharp’s Brewery, said: “We were delighted to be the headline sponsor of Padstow Christmas Festival once again – what an amazing weekend! There was a real buzz around the town this year and the line-up of chefs was truly phenomenal. We live in an amazing part of the world for food and drink and it’s great to see so many high calibre chefs involved, from local heroes to visiting legends.
“The hard work of the festival team is not to be underestimated and we absolutely love being a key part of the action, welcoming chefs and punters alike into our Secret Bar and Beer Confessional. We were also thrilled to officially launch our collaboration with Camel Valley at the show, Camel Valley Pilsner, and delighted to have such a fantastic reaction to this very special beer. Roll on next year!”
The Santa Fun Run was again a huge success, raising over £6,000 for Cornwall Hospice Care, beating last year’s total. More than 400 Santas and Elves took to Padstow’s streets to take part in this year’s race.
The tenth Padstow Christmas Festival will take place next year from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 December 2017.
