Finding The Next Big Thing

Celebrating its second anniversary, the show is much more than a food market. Packed with all sorts of fun events including some very friendly livestock, it’s also a chance to challenge preconceptions about the food we eat; taste food as it really should be and meet the people who grow, nurture and produce it.

The Real Food Festival will also clearly demonstrate how choosing food that is fresh, in season and produced with care not only tastes fantastic, but won’t blow the budget either. The Real Food Festival is also the event where buyers from all sectors of the food and drink industry, from food service to retail, public institution caterers to wine merchants, come to discover the best ingredients available in the UK and meet the people who produce them.

Highlights of this year’s show will include the Real Food Market, with the finest food and drink products from over 400 independent producers. From coffee and tea, beer, wine and cider to meat and game, olive oil, smoked fish, cheese and chocolate, those looking for new inspiration will not be disappointed. The Real Food Festival has a unique structure where they subsidise these small, independent producers to attend – and consequently you won’t find many of them anywhere else.
Philip Lowery, festival director, comments, “We directly subsidise producers to be at the show because this is the only way that many of them can do an event like this. This is a fantastic opportunity for all our visitors because it means they can literally see hundreds of potential new suppliers that they have probably never come across before all in one convenient location. Because we subsidise these producers it does mean we have to charge an entry fee for our trade buyers, but the time and money saved in having all of these companies in one place at one time is more than compensation for this – and if it helps, this ticket money is going directly towards supporting these world-class food and drink producers.” 

The Real Food Festival 2009 will take place from 8th to 10th May at London’s Earls Court. The trade day is Friday May 8th, from 10am – 4pm. Advance tickets: the first ticket is £18, subsequent tickets are £9.90 each. Tickets on the door are £25. The evening of the 8th, 9th and 10th of May are open to the public. Evening tickets for May 8th cost £8.00 in advance or £12 on the door. Tickets can be bought online at www.realfoodfestival.co.uk or by calling 0844 412 4642