Kokova Magazine

It's Back… And it's Bigger and Better than ever before.

If you haven't put Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd September 2012 in your diary, now is the time to do it.

If you love food and drink and are particularly passionate about local produce, this event is a must because you really don't want to miss out on the legendary Big Nibble - A Slice of Sussex event.

The two-day event launches the month-long Horsham District Food and Drink Festival, which will run from 1st to 30th September.

With many fantastic events happening all over the District as part of the Festival, The Big Nibble is the most hotly anticipated event on the calendar.

Highlights include: -

Local Produce Market
Visitors can look forward to a huge produce market in Horsham's Carfax between 9am and 5pm with a diverse mix of local producers offering freshly baked breads, fresh fruit and vegetables, oils, salads, eggs, chocolates, preserves, meats, fish, pastas, cheeses and much more. There will also be hot food and an arts and crafts section.

Horsham Beer Trail
For just £1 why not experience the Horsham Beer Trail involving many of the town centre pubs and bars?

Pick up a commemorative mini Beer Trail tankard and set off for a journey, visiting the town centre's most diverse watering holes and sampling some of the finest beers that Horsham pubs have to offer. This is your chance to sample those beers you thought you might never try in all those pubs you never think about going into.

Look out for the Horsham Beer Trail stand at the 'Event Control Point' in the Carfax on Saturday 1st September, between 11am and 4pm to pick up your programme and start your journey of discovery. Complete the trail and return your programme by 10pm to Piries Bar in Piries Place to be entered into the Prize Draw, with a chance of winning a 3-course meal for 2, courtesy of The Black Jug in Horsham.

The Live Food Show
On Saturday, 'The Live Cookery Theatre' will arrive in Horsham to take pride of place in the Carfax.

This high-spec kitchen will be used on the big day by a number of chefs from local businesses, plus traders from Horsham's weekly local produce market who will collectively form a live programme of entertainment to showcase their culinary skills, demonstrate and share their knowledge.

Gourmets have good reason to be very excited, as celebrity chef Tony Tobin has just confirmed he will be making a special appearance in the Carfax to browse the various artisans across the market and cook up something rather special at the kitchen with his findings. Tony is well known to viewers of the BBC's Ready Steady Cook, having appeared on the show over 300 times since 1992.

Also confirmed and returning to Horsham for another appearance is Matt Gillan, Head Chef of The Pass restaurant at South Lodge Hotel, which has now won its first Michelin Star.

This cookery spectacular is one of the most highly anticipated elements of the Big Nibble weekend, with local produce being used as part of each demonstration process, coinciding with the strong overall theme and ethos of the event.

The programme is professionally compared by foodie Hilary Knight, founder of Sussex Food Network. Hilary works with chefs and food and drink producers from across Sussex and will be interacting with demonstrators and engaging the public on the day, teasing out their top tips.

Whilst visitors will witness cooking at its very best, there will certainly be opportunities for free tasters together with takeaway recipe sheets for each dish, so people can practice the experience for themselves.

Horsham Festival of Sound
The Festival of Sound SeptemberFest also kicks off on Sunday and will feature fifty of the Horsham area's best live music acts on five separate stages across the town centre.