National Geographic Traveller (UK) has unveiled the full line-up of guest speakers and exhibitors for this year’s Food Festival, which returns to London’s Business Design Centre for a star-studded weekend celebrating culinary travel on 15-16 July 2023.
Hosted by award-winning magazines National Geographic Traveller (UK) and Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK), the two-day event invites visitors to taste the world, with wine tutorials, international tastings, culinary masterclasses, live demonstrations, on-stage interviews with acclaimed cookbook authors and talks from celebrity and up-and-coming chefs.
The line-up will bring together some of the most exciting names in modern gastronomy. The festival’s Main Stage will welcome the likes of MasterChef judges John Torode and Anna Haugh, while Speakers’ Corner will showcase Caribbean specialist Andi Oliver and The Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod.
Tickets are priced at £26 per person, including booking fee. A limited number of additional tickets to the Wine & Spirits Theatre are available at the price of £6 per session, purchased in advance, with up to two drinks tastings included. For more information, and for the booking link, visit: foodfestival.natgeotraveller.co.uk
Main Stage
The Main Stage will feature demonstrations and interviews with the culinary world’s leading lights, including:
MasterChef judges John Torode and Anna Haugh
Restaurateurs Thomasina Miers and Ravinder Bhogal
Writers Ixta Belfrage and Melissa Thompson and many more
For the full Main Stage line-up, visit: foodfestival.natgeotraveller.co.uk
Speakers’ Corner
Over on Speakers’ Corner, a stellar line-up of cookbook authors will talk through their latest releases. The programme will take a deep dive into the culinary destinations that inspired these works, with visitors invited to ask questions before being given the chance to purchase their favourite cookbook and get it signed. This year’s line-up includes:
Andi Oliver, who’ll be discussing her long-awaited debut, The Pepperpot Diaries
Petty Pandean-Elliott, author of The Indonesian Table
Coinneach MacLeod, whose latest release, The Hebridean Baker: At Home, celebrates recipes and stories from the Scottish islands
For the full Speakers’ Corner line-up, visit: foodfestival.natgeotraveller.co.uk
Masterclass Theatres Alongside the festival’s guest speakers, two Masterclass Theatres will host live cooking demonstrations from more than a dozen destinations across the world, including:
Azerbaijan
Ecuador
The US and many more
Wine & Spirits Theatre
This year’s Wine & Spirits Theatre will also embark on a global tasting tour, featuring everything from Czech and Californian wines to Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon. Attendees can book sessions to find out about more about their favourite tipples before visiting the Drinks Showcase to try — and buy — wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages from across the globe.
Main Hall
Finally, the Main Hall will be packed with a wide range of exhibitors, from tourist boards to producers, who’ll be on hand to inspire visitors through demonstrations, samples and stories. Some of the planet’s best chefs will put a spin on classic dishes, with tourist boards on hand to tell you more about the culinary destinations that inspired them.
A ticket to the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival offers visitors an immersive experience, giving them the inspiration to plan their next trip and get better acquainted with global cuisines. Thousands of food-lovers poured into the Business Design Centre in 2022, and with this year’s event promising to be even bigger and better, tickets are expected to sell out quickly. For the full line-up, and to book a ticket, visit: foodfestival.natgeotraveller.co.uk