Kokova Magazine

Taste Cumbria Food Festival, held in Cockermouth from the 29th - 30th September 2012, will serve up food and drink from over a hundred of Cumbria's best producers, hoteliers and restaurateurs.

Joining TV and Michelin starred chef Simon Rogan of L’Enclume in Cartmel, and to add extra flavour to Cumbria's perfect produce, will be the county's finest culinary talent, a host of local producers and a peppering of celebrity chefs, offering master classes and teaching skills, from fly-fishing to foraging.

Rogan is bringing his stunning culinary style to the festival by way of a unique 'Pop-up Restaurant', a temporary L'Enclume restaurant which will be set at the heart of the festival.

Currently appearing on BBC screens representing the Northwest on the Great British Menu, Rogan will be serving festival visitors his signature dishes cooked on the programme.

Visitors' taste buds will continue to tingle with a plethora of producers and local businesses offering their specialities from chilli to chutney and sausages to spices.

Many of Cumbria's restaurants, pubs and cafes are also taking part to make the festival a multi-venue dining event with spectacular opportunities to take a vintage champagne afternoon tea on the lawns of the beautiful Trout Hotel, or an evening treat enjoying an evening of jazz with Jay Rayner and his passion for jazz piano.

Ensuring the festival is a smörgåsbord of fun for the whole family, children can also get a flavour of Cumbria by taking part in a range of activities such as the 'Vegetable Orchestra Masterclass', and interactive cooking and baking.

The event hopes to see over 20,000 visitors flock to the region over the two days of the festival, which is supported by Jennings, who will be hosting a Cumbrian Beer Festival on site.

This is Taste Cumbria's 3rd year and the largest festival yet. It is a wonderful celebration of Cumbrian talent and taste, and we look forward to welcoming residents and visitors to what promises to be the best food festival in the North.

Festival organiser Mary Houston

Saturday Kitchen Chef, James Martin, and Sunday Brunch Star, Simon Rimmer, will be headlining the festival's Cookery Theatre which is hosted by One Show regular and Observer foodie Jay Rayner.

The stars are swapping the TV studio for a Cumbrian kitchen and are looking to whet the appetites of thousands of festival goers. BBC's James Martin will be heading the bill on Saturday 29th September, whilst Channel Four's Simon Rimmer plans to cook up a storm at a series of appearances on Sunday 30th September.

Cumbria is not just a stunning landscape: it also produces some of the finest food and drink in the UK. We have a vast array of talented and creative producers and, with the high demand for seasonality and local food, Taste Cumbria's offering could not be fresher.

Simon Rimmer

Both culinary celebs will be cooking using only Cumbrian produce from Cumbrian producers and visitors will be able to pick up and recreate the fantastic fare the famous chefs cook up as all producers will be exhibiting at the free Market Street area of the Festival.

The third Taste Cumbria festival in Cockermouth is really significant, as it marks almost three years since the devastating floods of 2009. To see that the town is now thriving once more, and that local food and drink has been integral to its recovery, is inspirational. It is a pleasure to be part of such a touching success story and I look forward to meeting the locals and showcasing the best produce that Cumbria has to offer.

James Martin

One Show regular and Observer Food Critic, Jay Rayner, will be recounting his hilarious account of "My Dining Hell: Twenty Ways to Have a Lousy Night Out."

The food loving jazz musician will also be bringing a band of the country's top jazz musicians to perform food inspired jazz standards to make the weekend swing.

Access to the festival is free, however demonstrations and masterclasses are ticketed so visit www.tastecumbria.com to ensure your place and see what else is happening at Taste Cumbria Food Festival 2012.

Taste Cumbria Beer Festival

All the breweries in Cumbria are also coming together for the Taste Cumbria Beer Festival at the end of September.

This awesome collection of 29 breweries and micro-breweries will be presenting an impressive 75 beers, 7 ciders and 3 perries over the weekend of 29th and 30th September in Cockermouth.

The region is well known and well regarded for its brewing heritage and, at the latest count, boasts more breweries than London. The organizers of Taste Cumbria Food Festival, of which the Beer Festival is part of, admit the Festival couldn’t go ahead without including the region’s impressive brewing heritage.

We are surrounded by award winning beers and breweries with amazing stories to tell. The line-up at the festival, which comprises exclusively of Cumbrian beer, ciders and parries, is a diverse and varied line-up, from light golden and hoppy pale ales to malty bitters, robust stouts and porters. It's a wonderful opportunity for all visitors to the Festival to discover some exciting beer flavours, learn a little more about how the beers are brewed and, as one might do with fine wine, learn how to match beer with good food. I'm really proud to be able to offer visitors to this year’s festival the chance to see and sample each and every brewery we have in Cumbria.

Mary Houston

Breweries attending include the most remote brewery in UK mainland (Dent) and a brewery which runs on renewable energy (Stringers).

And, proving that beer isn't beer bellies and beards, a number of the breweries at the festival boast women as head brewers.

The Taste Cumbria Beer Festival is held in association with CAMRA and Jennings and will be held at the Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth.

The festival will be staffed by Cumbrian CAMRA volunteers who will be on hand to offer expert advice and recommendations as well as information about the brewing process and Cumbria’s rich brewing history. There will be food available, plus live music. This activity is not suitable for families with young children.

Entry to the Beer Festival is £3 which includes a programme of all beers with tasting notes and a branded glass to keep.