Friday, 19th August 2016, 10:00 AM - Sunday, 21st August 2016, 17:00 PM Foodie Fun for All Ages takes place this weekend as Foodies Festival returns to Ripley Castle in Harrogate 19th - 21st August Foodies of all ages can look forward to a taste-bud-tickling weekend of foodie fun this weekend as Foodies Festival, the UK’s biggest celebration of food & drink, returns to Harrogate’s Ripley Castle 19th to 21st August. Foodies Festival and Yorkshire Food and Drink have teamed up to offer people three pairs of VIP tickets for this weekend’s Foodies Festival at Ripley Castle All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is follow us on Twitter @foodyorkshire and retweet the competition tweet. Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre Yorkshire’s culinary elite will showcase their skills and share insight into this year’s food trends while answering questions from the audience. Chefs confirmed include: Simon Jewitt – Head Chef at Norse Murray Wilson – Horto Stephanie Moon – Chef Consultant for All Things Food Nigel Brown – Celebrity Chef Rachel Green – Top TV Chef Whaheed Rojan – The Round Table Dining Tony Rodd – MasterChef Finalist 2015 Pete Hewitt – MasterChef Finalist 2015 & Homeboy’s Asian Street Food Katy Beskow – Little Miss Meat Free Chef Poon – Chaophraya Saira Hamilton – MasterChef Finalist Pamela ChenMoore – ChenMoore Chopsticks Jackie Kearney – The Hungry Gecko Martyn Hyde – Eat Me Cafe Drinks Theatre Expert sommeliers Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe host champagne and wine masterclasses, and beer connoisseur and writer Melissa Cole offers entertaining craft beer tutorials with hourly sessions in the Drinks Theatre. Street Food Avenue A feast of international flavours and delicacies are served on the Street Food Avenue. Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Argentinian, Turkish, Indian, Korean, Mexican, French and African are just some of the cuisines on offer and can be enjoyed in the every growing Feasting Tent, ensuring hunger is banished and tummies are full. Artisan Producers Market This year there are more award-winning producers at Foodies Festival than ever before with a glittering array of Great Taste Award winners available to shop and sample from, each being hailed as a producer of ‘Exquisite, Outstanding and Simply Delicious’ food and drink – a fantastic opportunity for visitors to meet artisan producers from the local area and across the country, learn their story and stock up on award winning produce. New Vintage Tea Room and Cake, Bake & Tasting Theatre A beautifully decorated new Vintage Tea Room offers visitors Afternoon Tea with a selection of cakes, scones with clotted cream and jam, and finger sandwiches served on china from a tea trolley by vintage styled tea ladies and gentlemen. Master chocolatier Fiona Sciolti and top local cake-makers work their baking wizardry on the Cake & Bake stage, inspiring visitors to reach for their whips and spatulas at home and create show-stopping cakes and delicious summer bakes. A neighbouring Chocolate, Cake and Bake Village sells freshly baked breads, sponges, tarts, jellies and trifles to enjoy with a bubble tea or fresh juice. Childrens Cookery School This year’s Children’s Cookery School will be operated by Kiddy Cook who’ll be delivering a series of ‘Meals in Minutes’ workshops. Classes take place every hour throughout the festival and during each session children will have fun with hands-on gastronomic experiments and lessons in how to make a delicious ‘taster’ recipe to take away and eat. Chilli-Eating Challenge The famous Chilli-Eating Challenge continues in 2016, inviting fans of spice to beat an eye-watering 16 million scoville record set by Shahina Waseem last year. Participants start at the low end of the chilli spectrum by eating bell peppers, but things quickly get a lot hotter with Habanero, Scotch and Carolina Reaper (world’s hottest chilli) chillies being added to the menu. Those still standing are then inflicted to pure chilli extract, increasing in strength, until a winner is crowned. Live Music and Pop-Up Bars After a day of feasting and fun, visitors can picnic on the grass with friends and soak in the atmosphere with live music from award-winning local bands at the Unsigned Music Awards Stage and a glass of bubbly or refreshing cocktail from the Giant Pimm’s Teapot, Mojito Ship or Appleton Estate Rum Bus. Tickets: Tickets are on sale now at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111 Ticket prices: Friday adult ticket £10.00/£8.00 concession Saturday/Sunday adult ticket £14.00/£11.00 concession Three day adult ticket £20.00/£16.00 concession VIP day ticket £38.00/£35.00 Friday – includes a glass of bubbly with red carpet welcome, use of the decadent Deco Noir VIP Lounge and Mirror Bar, refreshments throughout the day, priority entry to food and drink masterclasses, show guide, and goody bag to take home. Children aged 12 and under go free to all Foodies Festivals when accompanied by an adult. Open times: 19th August – 10am – 6pm 20th August – 10am – 6pm 21st August – 10am – 5pm Sponsors: Aga Rangemaster, Bonne Maman, Wines of Germany, Cau Restaurant Group, Chaopraya and Leffe Beer Social Media: Facebook – @foodiesfestival Twitter – @foodiesfestival Instagram – @foodiesfestival About The AuthorYorkshire Food & Drink Yorkshire's only dedicated food and drink website from Yorkshire Post Newspapers and its sister titles in the region. Showcasing everything Yorkshire has to offer from the fruits of the sea to the fields of the moors and beyond. It includes unbiased restaurant reviews by renowned food critics, recipes and 'how to' videos from some of Yorkshire's finest chefs and latest food and drink news and blogs from around our amazing county. And you can have your say either on the site or via our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Let us know what you think comments