festivals, festivities and fine foods...

There are two Cumbrian Festivals coming up that should be on your foodie radar. Holker Hall's festival on the 30th, 31st of May and the 1st of June, will present a fabulous line up of events and activities, including a significant focus on food. The show will include, not only be the best producers in Cumbria, but also many of Britain's leading real-food producers. There's plenty of places to relax and enjoy ... everything from an elegant glass of Pimms to a hearty Hog Roast. The Holker Estate has a long tradition of farming through the craftsmanship of tenant farmers producing cheese, prime Shorthorn Beef, seasonal Venison and the famous Holker Saltmarsh Lamb. In the dedicated food hall you can try fine Ewes Milk Cheese made by Martin Gott at Holker Farm or the rich flavour of Oak Smoked Cumberland Farm House Cheese. The food hall also has a large range of gourmet and speciality foods.

The second festival is dedicated to food alone, it is a gastronomic delight for all the family. The Cumbria Food Lovers Festival at the Westmorland County Showground near Kendal is a perfect showcase for a region that is bursting at the seams with fantastic high quality food producers. From all corners of Cheshire, Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside, and of course Cumbria, there is everything from artisan bread to rare breed meat, handmade preserves to locally grown vegetables, all supremely delicious and available at the festival for you to taste and buy. For beer lovers there will be lots of different beers to taste and enjoy. With over 70 fine food producers, fascinating foodie seminars, exciting and informative demonstrations from some of the regions most talented chefs, and more, there'll be lots to do and see. For the latest information, visit www.nwfinefood.co.uk The event takes place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June 2008.

Content supplied by www.Artisan-Food.com . Photography supplied by North West Fine Food and funded by Distinctly Cumbrian.