Taste Cumbria Returns To Cockermouth
It's back! Taste Cumbria Food Festival returns to Cockermouth this September.
Be sure to keep the 24th and 25th of September free, when the Taste Cumbria Food Festival 2011 returns to the beautiful Georgian town of Cockermouth, in the heart of the Western Lake District.
The countdown has begun with only a few months remaining and excitement is building around the festival, 
which promises to be one of the most anticipated events of the summer and will once again highlight Cumbria's national and international reputation for quality local produce and exceptional culinary talent.
Following the successes of 2010, Taste Cumbria has already attracted a great deal of regional and national media attention, with The Guardian ranking the festival as one of the top UK foodie events in a recent feature, rubbing shoulders with long-established food festivals such as Ludlow and Abergavenny.
Katie Read, West Cumbria Tourism Manager and organiser of Taste Cumbria reveals the region's support for the food festival, and what's planned for 2011:
We have been absolutely overwhelmed with how many businesses are keen to get involved with Taste Cumbria festival this year. From exhibitors to sponsors such as Four Seasons Foods, it's massively satisfying to see Cumbria’s industries get behind the event. Over three quarters of exhibitors are already signed up to take part and the event has even attracted considerable attention from businesses outside of the region.
This year there is an enormous focus on the festival being a two-day event and we’re encouraging visitors to come down to Cockermouth on both the Saturday and the Sunday; we've many new events and activities planned.
For celebrity chef fans, we've some real culinary heavyweights rolling into town – the line-up is just being finalised – all will be revealed soon! As well as a whole host of household names we've also got presentations running throughout the two days in the festival's 'Chef’s Theatre' by some fantastic local and regional talent including chefs Mark Teasdale of Sharrow Bay and Daniel Grigg of The Samling.
We are encouraging all the demonstrators to use Cumbrian produce in their demo's, such as regional meats, vegetables, pickles and preserves, and many of these delicious delicacies will be available for visitors to buy in the festival's Producers' Market which will take over the town's Main Street.
Another new addition this year is the Beer 'n Bangers Festival Marquee, with six different breweries involved including Jennings, Great Gable Brewing Company, Hardknott Brewery and Mitchell Krause. Visitors will be able to experience the true taste of Cumbria as well, with the High Cross Inn selling their famous sausage casserole alongside the breweries – the perfect partner to a pint or two!
Education and learning underpins everything that we are putting on during festival weekend” Katie says “And we’re really keen to get visitors involved, so this year we’re making our masterclasses more interactive. We want visitors to really get stuck in!”
‘As you can see, we've really raised the bar this year and this is just the tip of the iceberg, with lots more planned. We'll be unveiling more attractions as the festival draws nearer, and visitors can find out more on the official festival website which is continually updated - as well as following us on Twitter and by our Facebook page.We hope that Cumbria is as excited about the return of its very own food festival as we are!
Taste Cumbria Food Festival is billed as the perfect weekend event for anyone with an interest in 
regional food and drink and the exciting new features for 2011 will happily satisfy the gastro appetites of professional chefs and home cooks alike.
Last year over 17,000 visitors descended on Cockermouth to enjoy a slice of foodie heaven and 2011's festival is set to be even bigger and better, with a number of new restaurants and bars already confirming their attendance, alongside returning restaurants including Cockermouth's own Trout Hotel which becomes Official Hotel Partner of the event.
Spanish Tapas dishes will also be presented by Cockermouth’s Merienda Restaurant, whilst celebrity chef John Crouch will demonstrate ways to cook with flowers, and Nick Lawler of Winder Hall focuses on easy ways to cook with game.
As well as lots of fun opportunities for visitors to sample new products and flavours, the festival has a focus on learning, with organisers hoping that visitors will gain new skills and knowledge about produce.
Masterclass experts will be demonstrating their skills on diverse number of subjects including bread-making by Patrick Moore of Staveley's More? - Artisan Bakery, beer and food matching by renowned beer-blogger Pete Brown and even bee-keeping and honey-making by the engaging Cumbrian Bee-keepers.
Paul Peacock from BBC Gardeners' Question Time will be holding sausage and cheese-making classes which are perfectly complemented by 'Embellish Your Relish' talks hosted by Maria and Mark Whitehead OBE of award-winning Cumbrian producers Hawkshead Relish.
For those visitors with an interest in angling, they can even take to the waters with Lake District Fly Fishing who will be giving 20 minute demonstrations on the Derwent with the opportunity for private lessons also available throughout Festival weekend.
Taste Cumbria is funded by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) funded by Defra and the EU and managed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The festival is organised and managed by Cumbria Tourism and SK Events.
For full details please visit the Festival website: www.tastecumbria.com