Saturday 3rd September
9.30am – 4.00pm Children’s Exhibition
Visit the exhibition stands in the Market Place where children can participate in many activities including biscuit decorating and potato printing.
10.30pm – 12.30pm Kids Creative Kitchen
The Award Winning Creative Kitchen Chef Robert Oberhoffer will cook something splendid for children using the ingredients sold around him. Robert will cast around the market and local shops to source his ingredients and using his store cupboard and a little improvisation he will cook fresh
and fabulous dishes which kids will love and many that they can easily create themselves.
1.00pm Children’s Cookery Competition
Children can volunteer to participate in a fun competition at our demonstration kitchen. There are great prizes to be won but it might get messy!
2.00pm Five-a-Day Play in the Magic Garden
Kids characters Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy will make an appearance in
the Market Place and they will help children to understand the importance
of healthy eating.
9.30am – 4.00pm Exhibition
A range of Foodie Exhibition Stands and Activities will be in the Market Place for you to browse and enjoy
Sunday 4th September Spectacular
10.30am Andrew Turner
Celebrity Chef Andrew Turner opens the Hitchin Food and Drink Week by cooking a dish so fabulous you will want to replicate it.
11.30am, 1.00pm, 2.00pm and 3.00pm Chef Off
If you fancy your skills in the kitchen, then why not take part in our
Chef-Off Competition? Each competitor will be paired with a local chef and will be assigned one of three cooking stations comprising a work surface and a one-ring gas stove. Each of the three teams needs to cook the
same dish in just 20 minutes. They will be given identical ingredients and equipment and the dish they need to cook will be revealed just as the timer starts ticking. The winner of each round goes forward to participate in the final at 3.00pm
The heat is on... 12.15am James Nicolas
James Nicolas, Head Chef at the Radcliffe Arms, demonstrates his signature dish from the Creative Kitchen.
1.30pm Damian Caldwell
Halsey’s proprietor Damian Caldwell uses local ingredients to cook a few
tasty treats for tea.
Monday 5th September
“Let them Eat Cake (and bread)” 11.30am – 1.00pm Artisan Bread Making
Artisan bread is crafted in small batches, rather than mass produced. Special
attention is paid to ingredients, process, and a return to the fundamentals of the age-old bread making. In this drop-in session you will have the opportunity
to taste a range of artisan bread and watch Andy Smith from Quotidian Bakery
demonstrate how it is made.
1.30pm – 3.00pm Cup Cakes
Kerri Hodgson a Cake Artisan will demonstrate how to make and decorate
really lovely cup cakes. She will also make a celebration tower of cup cakes
for a wedding or other celebration.
Tuesday 6th September
Chocolate Day 11.30am – 1.30pm I should Cocoa
Spend a couple of hours in the company of Dawn Fry from local Chocolate
Company ‘The Melting Pot’. Dawn discusses the history of chocolate and,
using real cocoa beans and nibs, she explains how it goes from ‘Bean’ to ‘Bar’.
A fun and interactive chocolate tasting session follows as Dawn demonstrates
some chocolate making techniques and invites your questions. She will
also have a range of books and equipment for you to view.
Wednesday 7th September
Cheese and Wine Day 11.30am – 1.00pm Cheese Cookery
A chef from Wobbly Bottom Farm in Hitchin will make a delicious dish using cheese from his goat herd and another vegetarian dish using a local cow’s cheese.
6.30pm – 8.30pm Wine Tasting Master Class
Join us for an evening of wine and cheese tasting. You will enjoy discovering
a variety of wines, including local wine, during the Hitchin Food and Drink Wine
Tasting Master Class. Learn how to fully appreciate wine and how to pair it with local cheese. Booking for this event is required and ticket prices are £15.00 a head to cover the cost of the cheese! Tickets are available from Hitchin Initiative Email: info@htci.org.uk Telephone: 01462 453335
Thursday 8th September Fruit and Honey Day
If you want a full larder for Christmas then September is a good month for bottling, pickling and preserving.
11.00am – 2.00pm Preserves, Pickles and Honey Exhibition
Local preserve makers and bottlers will be exhibiting their products; you will have the opportunity to sample and purchase a variety of jams, pickles
and chutneys.
11.00am – 2.00pm Apple Core Competition
Enter our free competition to see if you can create the longest unbroken apple
peel from one apple
12.00pm – 1.30pm Cookery Demonstration
Vickie Humber from award winning ‘Humber Homemade’ will show you
how to make preserves and pickles using fruit and vegetables grown locally.
Friday 9th September The Finale 6.00pm – 9.00pm Hitchin Soiree
Back in the Creative Kitchen we invite you to join us for an evening of fun as
we stage a ‘Ready Steady Cook’ Competition. Two top local chefs are
paired with two local dignitaries and go head-to-head to create the tastiest meal with a bag of surprise local ingredients. The Cocktail Generation Game
Gemma, from The Croft Wine Bar, will demonstrate the art of cocktail making.
She will then ask for volunteers to participate in our Generation Game
Challenge – so pay attention and you could win some great prizes.
The evening culminates with a foodie pub quiz, the winning team collects
a local food voucher. Booking is required for this event and tickets are £5.00 per head. Tickets are available from Hitchin Initiative Email: info@htci.org.uk
Telephone: 01462 453335
