PIGS ON spits, fish on platters, potato carrying, foraging and guzzling are among the highlights of Galway’s first food festival, which has been planned for next month.
Poet, novelist and former chef Gerry Galvin and Ballymaloe cookery school founder Myrtle Allen outlined details last night of the programme, which takes place over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
The new festival aims to “celebrate Galway as a good food destination” and “showcase food producers” based in the city and wider west, while also promoting healthy eating for all ages.
The festival village will be set up at Fishmarket Square by the
Spanish Arch, with open-air markets for local produce, restaurant trails, cookery demonstrations, foraging and food tours, talks, tastings, beer and wine workshops, a “meet the producers” forum and activities for children.
Making sushi, preparing the perfect steak, the art of baking, a world food pop-up restaurant, and cooking with quinoa are among the specific activities that will take place in a number of participating restaurants.
“Nose to tail eating,” as in “using the whole hog”, will be outlined by expert butchers and chefs, while there will also be talks on free-range farming, the Irish role in Bordeaux wine, a debate on the role of blogging in contemporary culture, and comedy with performer Maeve Higgins.
There will be a “slow food” event in the Galway City Museum, classes on cooking with seaweed, tuition on how to make a pizza for children and even a screening of the film Sideways.
The festival is supported by Fáilte Ireland, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Galway Enterprise Board and a number of participating restaurants, food outlets and their suppliers.
Admission to all events at the Galway Food Festival from April 6th to 9th is free unless indicated in the programme.
More details can be found on the website:
