Exploring Shrewsbury Food Festival 2024

My attention was first piqued by the live music stage on which The Founders were rocking out epic covers from the likes of Vance Joy, Queen, and Bastille. Hosting a fab range of local groups including Dirty Rockin Scoundrels with their electric guitars, suits and sunnies (despite the slightly overcast sky) and my particular favourite, Two Blank Pages. The banjo-wielding trio captivated the crowd with their swingin tunes and rustic harmonies.

The ginormous set up had me clueless as to what to do first! Ahead of the entrance was a little sheep pen surrounded by clusters of open-mouthed children. Next to it was a very family-orientated area with interactive models, toys, and even a delicious dish of dried locusts to dip into! (Conclusion: a little crunchy but exceeded expectations.)

I also had the opportunity to learn about the Shrewsbury Food Hub and its 165 volunteers from proud, new team members Mike and Sam. Demo chef Steve, The Hungry Guy hailed their crucial work whilst demonstrating what we could do with our leftovers, causing quite a stir in the tent when he put the onion skin straight in the stock! All about resurrecting the dwindling art of sharing and cooking he concocted an ‘unctuous’ meal from ‘whatever was in his fridge that morning’ proving that we can do it too! (Although I couldn’t help wishing that I too just happened to have cured venison in my fridge at home.)

After buying a tasty Chelsea bun from Hindleys bakery I sat and watched Mukaase’s Christiana bring the demo tent to life with her Afro-Carribean blackeye bean stew with plantain, saltfish, and mackerel. Coming from a long line of women who love to cook she was “thrilled” to have finally been invited as a demo chef at this prestigious event.

What I loved the most were the inspiring stories of these local businesses. Like Powells Pies using the same, unchanged recipe for over 100 years; prosperous companies borne from nothing but a recipe book, a pandemic, and a lot of passion like Shropshire Macaron Co. or even Ally Glass Studio which stemmed from a jokey Christmas present! In a town like Shrewsbury everything also seems so much more personal, for instance renowned meringue company Flower & White was launched by my family friend from their garden shed!