Traders ready to share their produce at Bishop Auckland Food Festival
Foodies can look forward to a weekend of tasty treats and delicious dishes as traders across County Durham and beyond prepare to show off their produce at Bishop Auckland Food Festival.
The free Durham County Council-run event will be returning this Autumn on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 October, with two days of activities, stalls, and demonstrations all about food.
Over 100 independent and local traders will be setting up shop in Bishop Auckland’s Market Place, ready to share their produce with festival-goers.
Visitors can discover their new favourite dish from the likes of Cubanos, Lebanese Street Food Truck, and La Pitta Catering, or try some sweet treats from bakers such as Burtree Puddings, Daisy Donuts, and Simple Cheesecake.
People can also try a selection of cheeses from traders such as Weardale Cheese and The Great British Cheese Company, taste jams and chutneys from Puckett’s Pickles and Blueberry Hill Preserves, or enjoy hot food from the Geordie Banger Company and Northumberland Sausage Company.
For sisters Jo and Amanda, who set up as artisan mobile coffee supplier Barista Sisters in 2017, this year will be the fifth time the pair have traded at Bishop Auckland Food Festival. As a family-run business, with parents and relatives often helping to serve high-end coffee and snacks from their converted 50-year-old pony trailer, Jo and Amanda are looking forward to once again reconnecting with customers and traders.
Jo said: “Bishop Auckland Food Festival was the first ever event we traded at when we set up as a coffee supplier. It was a real baptism of fire, but the atmosphere was great, the staff and volunteers were really helpful, and it was a great opportunity to get our name out there.
“We’re looking forward to coming back again this year and working with other market traders and meeting new customers and people. We’re aiming to become the leading mobile coffee supplier in the North East, so the festival is a great way to show people what we have to offer.”
After welcoming more than 29,000 visitors in 2019, the return of Bishop Auckland Food Festival is expected to help boost the takings of local businesses and support the region’s economic recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
It also supports the county’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 and is a key part of the council’s vibrant cultural programme of festival and events.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming a host of local traders and their amazing produce to Bishop Auckland Food Festival, which visitors will be able to discover, taste and enjoy.
“The festival is a great example of how the county would benefit from becoming UK City of Culture 2025. It would give the county the chance to deliver more inspirational and inclusive festival and events, such as our food festivals, and raise County Durham’s profile as a cultural destination for good food and local producers.”
To find out more about County Durham’s bid to be UK City of Culture and to leave messages of support, visit www.durham2025.co.uk and follow @Durham2025 on Facebook and @Durham_2025 on Twitter.
Members of the public can also support the campaign by sharing pictures of their favourite County Durham places on social media with the hashtag #Durham2025.
