Kokova Magazine

Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival has created ten tantalising days of foodie fun to celebrate its tenth birthday this September.

Food lovers, visitors and local families can enjoy the culinary offering of one of the most vibrant and creative cities in Europe.

The Autumn Harvest food festival will kick off with an array of local wine experts, restaurants and wine merchants making their case for their favourite wine or best kept secret at Make Your Case, to be held at Hotel du Vin on September 7th 2012.

The centrepiece Big Sussex Market - featuring over 80 local growers and producers and the Community Food area - is this year sponsored by Spire Healthcare and will have Brighton buzzing on September 8th - 9th on New Road and Jubilee Street in the heart of the trendy North Laine area.

On the same weekend, the Children's Food Festival will be running just up the road at the Brighthelm Centre and Gardens. This completely free event is supported by PHS Wastetech and will see a host of hands-on, interactive exhibits explaining food waste and recycling, alongside the hugely popular food bravery activities for kids and, of course, lots of tasty treats.

For the last ten years, the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the south of England, has run for the whole of September as a month-long celebration of local food and drink.

As the festival is celebrating its tenth birthday, we wanted to build on the phenomenal success of our Spring Harvest in April and do something a bit different this year, so we've created a more intensive Autumn Harvest food festival.

As ever, the festival will showcase the fantastic food, drink and hospitality to be found in the city and surrounding Sussex, but in a more concise manner, making for a scrumptious fun-packed ten days.

Nick Mosley, Food Festival Director

The ten day festival will also include a Vegan Maki Competition at Moshi Moshi (September 12th), the Sussex Wine Dinner at Hotel du Vin (September 13th) and Brighton Mix Off cocktail competition for young bar tenders in the stunning surrounds of SEA LIFE Brighton (September 15th).

The festival finale will be held over the weekend of September 15th - 16th, including the free entry Sussex and the World Market on Hove Lawns, this year featuring the Live Food Show, the quirky Sussex Cheese Bowling Championship and lots more entertainment.

Lots of other ticketed events and special festival menus are on offer across the city, including an exciting International Chef Exchange Dinner featuring a chef from Vietnam to be held at L'Eglise.

The winners of the Brighton and Hove Foodie Awards 2012, held in association with the food festival, will be revealed on October 1st.

Public voting is now open for the best restaurant, food pub, cafe and food shop.

For more information: www.brightonfoodfestival.com