The UK's best food festivals

last updated 6 July 2017

Among the more niche of the country's food festivals is this celebration of all things garlic on the Isle of Wight. Centering on the island's garlic producers – the multi-award-winning Garlic Farm near Newchurch – offerings include garlic fudge, vodka, ice cream and popcorn, among many other weird and wonderful combinations. More traditional palates are catered for too, though, with wonderful garlic olives, mushrooms and baked goods available. This year's festival will see television chef Valentine Warner and runner-up of last year's Great British Bake Off, Jane Beedle offering cooking and baking tips. As well as garlic, the festival showcases the Isle of Wight's broad range of cheese, wine, honey and cider. The Garlic Festival also hosts a summer funfair, with classic cars, archery and various stalls for garden, tool and furniture enthusiasts.

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This charity fundraiser is a celebration of everything cooked low and slow and will appeal to all lovers of the US-style barbecue. Teams from across the UK compete to win the title of Pitmaster, while festival attendees enjoy the spoils of their 24-hour smoking efforts. With competition categories including chicken, ribs, pork and brisket, this is most certainly a meat-lover's affair. Other events at Smoke and Fire include live demonstrations on how to build a drum barbecue and how to use the Asado barbecue technique from Simon Dyer, winner of ITV's BBQ Champ 2015 and builder of more than 20 barbecues. There will be stalls from craft breweries and local cider makers, as well as vendors vying for the title of best hot sauce in Essex.

At the other end of the food festival spectrum is Vegfest, the UK's largest vegan event, offering a vast array of exhibitors, live demonstrations and talks. There is a Vegan Food Village, where offerings include delicious Indian and Afro-Caribbean curries, Greek and Spanish food, street food, breweries and vegan sweet treats. There are a range of specialty summits and talks as well. The forum on athletes and veganism features speakers including vegan and ultra-marathon-runner Fiona Oakes, and Germany's strongest man 2011 and vegan, Patrik Baboumian. There are also summits on animal rights, environment and food sustainability, easy veganism and a performance by vegan comic, Carl Donnelly.

This annual celebration of all things hot once again brings together a variety of exhibitors, entertainment and eating in rural Dorset. There is a charity chilli cook-off, a hot sauce competition featuring chilli jams and chutneys, and a street food fair, serving everything from Mexican enchiladas to Thai, Indian and Caribbean curries. For chilli-growing enthusiasts, some of the UK's best chilli companies will be selling seeds, plants and produce and will be available to give advice on how to ensure your efforts are rewarded with fiery fruits. Festival goers will also be able to discover the myriad of different chillies and their broad variety of uses and levels of heat. And for those who love an eye-watering challenge, there is a chilli-eating contest – not for the faint of heart or taste bud.

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