Thousands of foodies, visitors and shoppers flooded the streets of Farnham at Sunday’s (30 September) celebration of local, artisan and specialist produce at the 2018 Farnham Food and Drink Festival.

For the first time festival organisers Farnham Town Council held the event on a Sunday and closed off an additional street to make a larger area available. Nevertheless, local people and tourists could not get enough of the produce, tastings, activities and demonstrations that made up the festival, which this year was supported by principal sponsor Wiltshire & Sons who are Farnham’s local Mitsubishi dealers.

“There was a fantastic atmosphere at this year’s festival. The crowds really embraced all that our stall holders had to offer. It’s clear that Farnham has a passion for high quality food and adventurous flavours and that visitors come from far and wide to share in it. What an amazing day for the town!” says Councillor Jill Hargreaves, Lead Member for Events and Tourism at Farnham Town Council.

Stalls extended from Castle Street to The Borough, featuring numerous specialist and innovative food and drink, much of which was locally produced. Gin produced in Surrey, cider made from local apples, beer and wine made on the Hogs Back are just a few of the drinks enjoyed by the weekend’s festival-goers.

Cllr Hargreaves explains: “What makes the Farnham Food and Drink Festival so special is the celebration of produce that is very traditional to the area alongside cuisine from places as far and wide as South America, Europe and Australasia. You may find yourself teaming a local ale with Thai street food followed by freshly made Spanish churros. Or watching a demonstration about using local autumn produce while tucking into Mexican tacos. Every year we bring innovative products to the festival or discover the food of a new culture.”

The tenth Food and Drink Festival was the biggest and best yet and Farnham Town Council estimates that over 15,000 people came to the festival. Free parking and regular shuttle bus services made it easy for people to get into the town while live music and events such as cookery demonstrations encouraged visitors to make a day of it.

Support from principal sponsors Wiltshire & Sons, a family business and Mitsubishi dealership operating in Farnham for over 40 years, alongside additional sponsors, The Wheatsheaf and MoMo Station made it possible to put on this tenth Food and Drink Festival.

Commenting after the Festival, Barry Wiltshire, Sales Manager at Wiltshire & Sons said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been the principal sponsor of Farnham’s Food and Drink Festival. The atmosphere was amazing and everybody seemed to be having such a good time. We had a great day and enjoyed meeting so many people in our home town.”