Holmfirth Food & Drink Festival Omelette Challenge

All demonstration chefs were invited to take part in our very own Omelette challenge – three eggs, 1 knob of butter and 1 hot pan to see who could make the fastest omelette, the results for 2011 were:
 

Our Stallholders love the Holmfirth Food & Drink Festival!
Read their comments here...

"The event was a credit to your Department. Everyone enjoyed it, traders and visitors alike!.
There was a wide area of coverage. I spoke to visitors from Doncaster, Manchester, Harrogate etc.
Can you arrange such events for three or four times a year?"
Alexander
Gourmet Med
 

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"Just wanted to say thank you very much for a superb weekend, my team and I really enjoyed coming along to the festival, and found it to be a great success.
We will definitely be coming again next year – so reserve us a stall please!"
Jane Jordon
Independent Sales Director for The Pampered Chef
 

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"Thank you for letting us attend the event yesterday. It was very successful and we managed to speak to loads of people about our the Love Food Hate Waste campaign. Thanks again for yesterday."

Alison Lowe
Recycling Officer
 

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"Maria, Just to say a big thank you to you, Claire, Pam, Chris and everyone on your team for a brilliant weekend.
My staff and I have loved every bit of the weekend and it is all down to hard work you all do to make it such a success.
The security team were brilliant and the car park remained a safe place for every one.
The stall holders were all great to the staff and was a pleasure to be around them all weekend.
I get involved in many things in Holmfirth, but, this festival is the best organised, enjoyed and loved by many and hundreds more.
Your commitment to ensure it works is a credit to you. I cannot praise and thank you enough!

Lynn Ford
Old Bridge Hotel
 

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"Thank you so much to you & your excellent team for a job well done from all at Sharland's of Paddock.
What a superb event the Holmfirth Food & Drink Festival is, everyone who visited had a great time I'm certain, I know we did!
We'll be back again next year, keep up the good work & book the sunshine again please!"

Keith Sharland
Sharland's of Paddock

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Get the Holmfirth Food & Drink Festival Recipe 2011

Created and demonstrated by Old Bridge Hotel Chef, Jason Bedford

Beetroot and Chicken Liver Salad.
Salmon with Lime and Ginger.
Autumn Mess.

Click here for recipe...
 

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FrumpTarn Guggenband Back in 2011

FrumpTarn Guggenband a German Carnival Band (one of only two in the country) from Barnsley  performed for us again this year after huge popularity at the Festival in 2008, 2009 & 2010.

 

'We play modern classic tunes on brass instruments with drum and percussion accompaniment, in the Swiss and German uggen tradition. Do not mistake us for an Oompah band!'

www.frumptarn.com

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Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival Triumphs Again in 2010!

The Safari Supper which had always been one of the highlights of the festivals fringe, was missing from last years programme as organisers felt the public would prefer more variety. After numerous requests for its return, the Supper was back and this year at four venues. The Safari route is a surprise and guests only find out the day before what their starting venue will be, and only discover the remaining venues as the evening unfolds. Tickets for the supper include three courses, plus cocktail.

Saturday morning saw the Festival open fully, with the food stalls meandering through the streets of the town centre, open from 10am until 5.30pm (some open from 9am until late). The Arts and Craft market open from 9am in the lower Market Hall.

The festival kitchen, located on the upper floor of the Market Hall, offered a truly varied selection of demonstrations over the two days. Cookery demonstrations started from 10am on both days in the upper Market Hall, with a jam-packed line-up of serious cookery, light-hearted cookery fun, and some wonderful tasting and interactive sessions.

The Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Andrew Palfreeman, attended the festival on Saturday afternoon to welcome festival goers and sample the wares. At 2pm the Mayor introduced the Ministry of Chocolate’s interactive ganache and truffle making demonstration, one not to be missed!

The festival organisers were also keen to encourage children to get involved with food demonstrations. This year they launched the “Junior Big Breakfast Chef of the Year” sponsored by Old Bridge Hotel. Children aged 7-11 entered to cook breakfast for two people on a budget of £5. The winner received a full English breakfast for four people at Old Bridge Hotel on a date of their choice, £25 in vouchers and the coveted trophy and title of Junior Chef of the Year 2010.

Local winner of the Amateur Chef of the Year at Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival was also cooking at Holmfirth as part of her winning prize. Tarryn Gillies showcased some of her favourite dishes at 12noon on Saturday. Our runner-up, Dewsbury favourite Tim Lyles, was on hand to judge the children’s competition, and along with Tarryn to receive their trophies as Winner and Runner-up in the ‘grown-ups’ competition.

Local MP, Jason McCartney was a fellow judge in the children’s competition and presented the trophies to Tarryn and Tim at 10am. Jason, a huge fan of the Festival, has been a regular visitor over the years, and was spotted throughout the weekend.

Also spotted over the weekend was Nathan Brown. Nathan, who took part in last years Ready, Steady, Cook enjoyed his visit so much that he insisted on returning.

Local restaurants worked tirelessly on the festival committee to ensure lots of activities were taking place. Carniceria hosted free tapas, cheese and wine tastings from noon each day. The Nook offered free brewery tours and tastings at 2.30pm and 3.30pm each day. Local restaurants The Balcony, Old Bridge Hotel and Carniceria created a mini-dining area in Towngate Car Park to offer taster menu’s. This was open alongside the German beer garden from 11am each day.

Back by very popular demand, and taking centre stage on the music front over both days, were Frumptarn Guggen Band, one of only two German parading carnival bands in the UK. Over the years, their music and costumes have become synonymous with the Festival.

Cllr Peter McBride, Cabinet Member for Regeneration said,

 ‘the festival at Holmfirth has a reputation for being a real fun event, celebrating foods both local and international, as well as creating plenty of opportunity for visitors to relax and enjoy the social aspects of food and drink. The demonstration programme is very varied and the additional activities such as brewery visits make this festival truly unique in the area. Visitors can get their taste buds around a wealth of fine foods and drinks as well as enjoying the vast array of impressive stalls, chef demonstrations, tasters and street entertainment.’

The wonderful backdrop of Holmfirth and its superb shops and eateries, and the festival’s spread throughout the town centre, make the visitor experience truly memorable. Free children’s entertainment is provided on both days, and with plenty for all the family, the festival is definitely worth a visit. A free Park and Ride scheme operates on both days. Free car parking is available at Dunsely Heating (HD9 3TW) with a free mini-bus service running into Holmfirth Town Centre between 9.30am and 6.30pm.

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Propermaid 2010 HSBC start up regionalist finalist

ProperMaid is the result of a university course business feasibility project that came to life.

The company is the brainchild of Allison Whitmarsh, who, having conducted the market research and completed the study to meet her course requirements, realised she had stumbled on a realistic business opportunity.

Her research showed that, while people still preferred the flexibility of shopping in a supermarket, they also wanted access to locally sourced produce – a market sector that had grown by 30% in just one year. Recognising the potential of an expanding market, Allison launched ProperMaid, cooking cakes at home and distributing them through local farmers’ markets to gauge customer interest and develop a broader knowledge of the baking industry.

Allison has a passion for baking and has passed this on to her army of baking ‘maids’, along with her interest in producing new and innovative recipes. Her home baking ‘with a twist’ has resulted in taste treats such as chocolate chilli and fudge, chocolate and beetroot, and courgette and lime cakes. A dandelion and burdock cake, created in tribute to her home town of Huddersfield, won the award for best bakery product at last year’s Deliciously Yorkshire Awards, and will be followed soon by a liquorice cake in honour of the 250th birthday of Yorkshire’s favourite sweets, Pontefract Cakes.

Aware that their local focus is a key part of their customer appeal, ProperMaid have so far targeted businesses within a 50 mile radius, including nine Asda stores.

As demand for their products continues to increase, they are planning to expand their premises to support the production of single portion retail packs and are developing contacts with other local suppliers to help increase sales. Discussions are under way with Morrisons, Booths, Tesco and Selfridges, while by 2011 ProperMaid and its army of maids plan to be looking into the potential of international sales, taking their ‘posh cakes from Yorkshire’ much further from home.

www.propermaid.co.uk

www.startupstars.hsbc.co.uk

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 Vintage Market in Holmfirth

The Vintage Market is open on each Wednesday running from 10am to 4.30pm.

Cllr Peter McBride, Cabinet member for Regeneration, said: “This new trading day will be a great boost for the town centre and will be an additional attraction for the many coach parties visiting Holmfirth as well as more local shoppers. The market has also resulted in a new partnership with the Kirkwood Hospice charity which has committed its support and will hand-pick vintage goods from donations to sell at the market.”

Traders interested in renting a stall should contact Geoff Sheard on 01484 223730.
 

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News Archive

See which celebrities enjoyed taking part in our past Festival Cook off Challenges... and find out who won!
click here

 

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