Stroud Food and Drink Festival

Eat, drink and be merry, when the two-week Stroud Food and Drink Festival 2011 takes to the town – including a veritable feast of celebration events.

This September the Stroud Valleys will once again play host to the Stroud Food and Drink Festival, as around 20 different venues come together with 40 daytime and evening events set to pull in foodies from far and wide.

Showcasing Stoud’s outstanding food and drink business and now in its fourth year, organisers say Stroud Food and Drink Festival is now one of the biggest events of its kind in the south west. While many food festivals are said to follow the same formula, Stroud’s version has stayed true to its roots in celebrating the local businesses that operate in the area every day of the year.

Having been set the challenge of creating new ways to showcase what they do best, the venues involved are each contributing to a programme devised of an interesting mix of cuisines, themed events and special promotions.

In an era dominated by supermarkets it is all too easy to lose touch of where food comes from – with the Stroud Food and Drink Festival hoping to celebrate the area’s independent cafes, restaurants, markets, shops and producers who are all part of the lifeblood of the community.

In 2010 highlights included everything from wine tasting, beer and cider festivals, farmers’ markets, cookery classes and an evening dedicated to puddings – with this year’s event set to follow suit.

Taking place as part of the Stroud Festival Fortnight – which also includes Stroud Fringe Festival, Stroud Walking Festival, Stroud Open Homes and Stroud Vintage Festival – this culinary spectacular will provide the perfect reason to stop off in Stroud.