Abergavenny at 25

The Food Programme

BBC

Arts, Food

4.4 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 24 September 2023

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

25 years ago two Monmouthshire farmers had a plan. BSE had hit the rural area hard, and they wanted to create a food festival to showcase the area's produce. They set about putting it together in the relatively unknown town of Abergavenny. 25 years on and the event is now one of the UK's best known food festivals that attracts a star-studded line up of chefs and producers, hosting demonstrations and discussions and much more.

Sheila Dillon has been going to the festival for many years, and in this programme finds out why Abergavenny Food Festival has had such success, how it continues to stay relevant, and what impact it has beyond the town.

Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan

Transcript

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0:38.0	Food festivals.
0:40.0	Are they tasty fripparies or sometimes something a bit more solid?
0:45.2	One that I've covered and visited and taken part in is in 2023 celebrating 25 years.
0:53.2	Producer Natalie Donovan and I were in Abigovani for the celebrations.
0:57.8	If you have a beautiful little town nestled in gorgeous countryside, then a food
1:06.2	festival is more likely to work. And then if you have a food festival in your town,
1:12.1	I think that it raises the presence.
1:16.3	Abigavani is really tiny and yet so many people know where it is.
1:21.0	Abigavani, even in the rain reminds me of what I thought was the most beautiful
1:27.9	fascinating food festival I've ever been to the slow food festival in bra Italy I thought this could never be done in Britain.
1:35.7	It's interested in the conversation about food you know not just like here's you know
1:40.0	some artisan bakers and there's some lovely cheeses but here you can
1:43.1	actually discuss food and think about it. Why have you come for 24 years?
	...

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