FIVE Go Out On The Gin Barge is not an Enid Blyton title ToM recalls. So our plucky under-age foursome plus Timmy the dog are unlikely to be attending the spirit-led masterclasses at this year’s Castlefield Food Festival. They are the inspiration, though, for two other ticketed events at this free weekend celebration of foodie fun (May 11-14).
In honour of Visit England’s Year of Literary Heroes, the organisers have dreamt up Tea-Sup (is it tea or supper?), hands-on campfire cooking, Famous Five style, hosted by Festival Head Chef Robert Owen Brown and guests.
There are two evening sessions for this “unique two hour food experience” based at Castlefield Bowl – Cook Out Meat Menu Session (Thursday, May 11) and Cook Out Fish Menu Session (Friday, May 12). With tickets priced at £24.75 inc booking fee, there are only 20 places available for each evening, so book early here. You can book the Gin Barge sessions via the same link.
Each session kicks off, naturally, with lashings of ginger beer – actually a complimentary ginger beer cocktail and concludes wit a campfire chowdown.
Now in it’s third year, this four-day urban festival hopes to top the 40,000 visitors, whom came last year to sample the street food, the ales and cocktails, buy from farmers’ and local producers’ stalls and enjoy a variety of masterclasses and tastings at the Demonstration Kitchen. Plus there’ll be lost of live music on offer.
Children will get their own masterclasses from the likes of Bobby’s Bangers, Ginger’s Comfort Emporium and Icky Sticky Cakes.
In Partnership with gin creators Zymugorium and Castlefield party boat, The Dry Barge, there’s the opportunity to embark on a ‘Swallows and Amazon-style, unique Gin and Cocktail Experience’. Crikey, those boating kids had more fun than we thought!