Newport’s first food festival has been announced a huge success after attracting thousands of visitors.
The city’s food festival took place at the end of October and proved very popular with residents and visitors.
A supper was held in the Indoor Market to launch the weekend’s celebrations, and this event was a sell-out. Local chefs prepared the food and entertainment was provided by local band Cherry Beats.
On the Saturday, festival events took place at the Indoor Market and around the Riverfront area. Local producers set up stalls, and demonstrations were given by top chefs. Family activities included cooking sessions for children.
Budding young cooks also battled it out in a Teen Chef competition. Teams, made up of children aged 11 to 16, had to cook a healthy meal that had at least one ingredient from a local source. All ingredients also had to be within a £7.50 budget.
Top chef and Teen Chef judge Hywel Jones, said: “Teen Chef was Newport’s version of Masterchef. It was great to see the youngsters enjoying and taking pleasure in cooking. It was a difficult decision to decide a winner and the dishes were judged on taste and appearance.”
Newport City Council leader Cllr Matthew Evans, said: “The first Newport food festival proved to be an overwhelming success. It was fantastic to see the streets of Newport bustling with activity and there was a great atmosphere in the city.
“The festival has helped to highlight the wide range of food on offer in the city as well as giving people the opportunity to buy local produce, meet some well known chefs and find out more about Newport’s food and drink scene.”