THIS IS THE LIST OF 2008 TALKS AND DEMONSTRATIONS - 2009 TO FOLLOW SOON.

INDEX TO THIS PAGE
Prices and Locations | Precious Earth Demonstrations Stage | Olive Magazine Demonstrations Stage | Corve Street Fringe cooking marquee | Slow Food Taste Workshops | Judge's Chamber

PRICES AND LOCATIONS:

DEMONSTRATIONS AND TALKS are free of charge* unless otherwise stated, and take place at three main locations inside the castle, as well as at the Corve Street Fringe.

The Precious Earth Demonstrations Stage is located prominently in the Outer Bailey of the castle - this is the large grassy area that you get to immediately after passing through the admissions desks.

'Olive' magazine Demonstrations Stage is located in the Inner Bailey of the castle. To reach it, cross to the far end of the Outer Bailey and cross the bridge into the oldest part of the castle.

The Judge's Chamber: To find the Judge's Chamber, go across the bridge that leads into the Inner Bailey. The Judge's Chamber is the first 'room' on your right-hand side.

The Corve Street Fringe is situated halfway down Corve Street, on a site opposite the Tesco supermarket, and on the way to the bus stop for the North Park & Ride bus. The Fringe has a range of food and drink-related stalls (information here) as well as a Local to Ludlow Cooking Marquee.

Slow Food Taste Workshops are all chargeable (tickets can be bought in advance). These take place inside Castle House, which is accessed through the Slow Food marquee situated in the Castle Garden area (turn right after passing through the admissions desks). Tickets for Slow Food Taste Workshops can be bought inside the Slow Food marquee, or in advance from this page. Full details of the Taste Workshops here.

For all demonstrations and talks, space is limited. No reservations - first come first served. Please try to arrive five minutes before the start time, to help us to start punctually.

* Admission prices and opening times for the Food and Drink Fair and other events in the castle are shown here.

DEMONSTRATIONS AND TALKS ON
THE PRECIOUS EARTH DEMONSTRATIONS STAGE, Outer Bailey

FRIDAY

11.00 - Real Bread campaign: Andrew Whitley, founder of the Village Bakery explains why he's started a Real Bread campaign to encourage a revival in proper baking to put good food back on every table.

12.00 - Fi Bird, from 'Stirring Stuff', which works with children to get them excited about cooking and food. Here Fi is working with children from Orleton School.

1.00 - Robert Worgan, the winner of last year's Young Chef award, demonstrates some of his dishes.

2.00 - Veronese Cuisine - and how to cut a Grana Padano cheese. Giuseppe Bischetti, a well-known TV chef and food writer presents a lunch from produce of the region, starting with the cheese cutting.

3.00 - 5.00 pm Young Chefs competition judging, organised by Ludlow Skillbuilders

SATURDAY

10.00 - African cooking as it really is: national dishes from natives, from our charity Self Help Africa.

11.00 - Gilly Smith, author of The Jamie Oliver Effect: The Man, The Food, The Revolution. Gilly lloks at the effects of the past 30 years in food, and the growing influence of peak oil and climate change on our food habits.

12.00 - Christopher Bradley, chef-proprietor of Mr Underhill's, Ludlow's Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms, is taking you through sushi, pasta and chocolate - come and have a go!

1.00 - Darren Bale, the award-winning chef from The Elms Hotel at Abberley, Worcestershire, talks about making cheese and demonstrates cooking with local cheese.

2.00 - Paul Merry of Shipton Mill, the flour producers, presents a bread-making demonstration.

3.00 - Alan Murchison, proprietor of Ludlow's La Becasse restaurant, and also of the Michelin-starred L'Ortolan in Reading, and author of 'Food for Thought', demonstrates some of his special recipes.

4.00 - The Ludlow Sausage Trail - the Experts' Choice. The sausage experts conduct a blind tasting on this year's entries in the Sausage Trail, and deliver their verdicts.

5.00 onwards - Music to relax to.

SUNDAY

10.00 - Bryan Webb, from Tyddyn Llan Restaurant with Rooms, near Corwen: Wales Restaurant of the Year, with his book 'Not bad for a Taff', demonstration local produce.

11.00 - Shropshire Hotels 'Ready Steady Cook' - a cook-off between local chefs using local ingredients.

12.00 - Feed a family of four - three courses for £10. William Hunter shows how to beat the credit crunch, using local food.

1.00 - Shropshire Hotels 'Ready Steady Cook' - a cook-off between local chefs using local ingredients.

2.00 - Lesley Mackley. Local food writer Lesley Mackley is joined by Ben Andrews from the Dairy House organic dairy at Weobley and will be cooking up delectable dishes using a range of dairy products.

3.00 - Auction of Run Cookware. Half the proceeds go to Harvest Help, the Festivals Charity for 2008.

4.00 - Awards and Prizes - here we announce the awards and present the prizes for the 2008 Ludlow Food Festival.

DEMONSTRATIONS AND TALKS ON THE
'OLIVE' MAGAZINE DEMONSTRATIONS STAGE IN THE INNER BAILEY [more about Olive]

FRIDAY

10.15 - Ian Fuller from Capers Catering cooks with local food, assisted by local school children.

11.00 - Matt Weedon, Executive Chef at The Lords of the Manor Hotel, Gloucestershire, has worked in several outstanding Michelin-starred restaurants. A demonstration.

12.00 - 3.00 - Alan Murchison, proprietor of Ludlow's La Becasse restaurant, and also of the Michelin-starred L'Ortolan in Reading, and author of 'Food for Thought', demonstrates some of his special recipes.

1.00 - Richard Bertinet, chef and baker, who runs Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School ranked amongst the top ten in the country.

2.00 - Chris Horridge of the Bath Priory Hotel and Restaurant: Michelin-starred chef who wants his food to not only look and taste good, but to do you good as well!

3.00 - Bill McCarrick of Sir Hans Sloane Chocolate, the first artisan chocolate company in England to conch cocoa. Unique chocolate that holds successive gold awards.

SATURDAY

11.00 - Fi Bird, from 'Stirring Stuff', which works with children to get them excited about cooking and food.

12.00 - Janine Ratcliffe, food editor of Olive magazine, demonstrating her favourite foods.

1.00 - Feed a family of four - three courses for £10. William Hunter shows how to beat the credit crunch, using local food.

2.00 - Eddie Ludlow from The Whisky Lounge giving a whisky masterclass.

3.00 - Henrietta Green, founder of www.FoodLoversBritain.com , will be talking and tasting some of the best cheeses, local to Ludlow.

4.00 - David Cartwright from Kelly Bronze Turkeys talking about how the difference in rearing affects the final flavour.

SUNDAY

11.00 - What's all this Slow stuff about? Geoff Andrews talks about his new book The Slow Food Story - Politics and Pleasure; and Robert Elliott talks about his new book The Food Maze.

12.00 - Stuart Philips, the head chef from the Hundred House, Norton, takes us through his favourite dishes using local and homegrown produce.

1.00 - Janine Ratcliffe, food editor of Olive magazine, demonstrating her favourite foods

2.00 - Will Holland, head chef at La Becasse, Ludlow, takes you through a pasta masterclass from flour to plate.

3.00 - Andre Cluzeau from the Charlton Arms in Ludlow taking us through fish from sea, filleting and plate

4.00 - Olivier Bossut, Chef/Proprietor at The Roebuck at Brimfield cooking some of his favourites.

DEMONSTRATIONS AND TALKS IN THE
LOCAL TO LUDLOW COOKING MARQUEE at the CORVE STREET FRINGE [more about the Corve Street Fringe]

SATURDAY

11.00 - Cooking with Taste 4 Kids. Christine Davies from Chrissie's Kitchen will be cooking with kids, considering health and nutrition as well as working to a budget.

12.00 - Marc Hardiman, head chef from Fishmore Hall. Since Fishmore Hall opened as a hotel last autumn, there has been many a rave review of Marc's handiwork and his commitment to local sourcing. Come and see for yourself the man in action.

1.00 - Ludlow chef Dean Banner cooks a treat. Award-winning Dean Banner from Ludlow's The Parkway restaurant will show us how to cook from scratch something special.

2.00 - Local food, the environment and the future. A talk by Karen Thorne of award-winning Hopton House, introduced by Clare Fildes from Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, talking about the importance of a healthy, sustainable environment and community.

3.00 - Michelin star chef Alan Murchison: 'Food for thought' with Alan Murchison, proprietor of La Becasse restaurant in Ludlow and L'Ortolan in Reading. Alan will charismatically display his stunning cuisine ability.

4.00 - Local to Ludlow Shropshire Fidget Pie judging. Watch the latest addition to the festival's competitions, which will consider local chefs efforts at creating the perfect Shropshire Fidget Pie. Judged by members of the Local to Ludlow team.

SUNDAY

11.00 - Will Holland from La Becasse. Will turns his hand to his favourite local products which regularly appear on the menu at La Becasse.

12.00 - DIY sausage making with Mark Williams of Key Cottage Catering. Mark shows us how easy it can be to make your own perfect sausage at home.

1.00 - Jamie Yardley of the Boyne Arms, Burwarton, cooks his Sunday Selection. Jamie takes the Sunday lunch spot with a selection of his favourite dishes.

2.00 - Organic Farming - Clun Valley Group. A newly-formed group of organic farmers from the Clun Valley in the Shropshire Hills talk about the opportunities and issues taht remote, small-scale producers face when trying to reach new customers.

3.00 - Preserving the Seasons with Lin Whitehead. The chutney and preserve specialists Holly and the Ivy's Lin Whitehead demonstrates some seasonal recipes.

4.00 - Local French Wine and Food. Ludlow's Harlington Wines who source from small independent vineyards in Europe and Ludlow's French Pantry pair up to bring you some exceptional French wines matched with local French food.

COMPETITIONS BEING JUDGED IN THE JUDGE'S CHAMBER

To find the Judge's Chamber, go across the bridge that leads into the Inner Bailey. The Judge's Chamber is the first 'room' on your right-hand side.

FRIDAY

THE LUDLOW CAKE
Judging at 1.00 pm in the Judge's Chamber. Local bakers have been very busy over the past year working out their new recipes to be unveiled and judged today.

THE LUDLOW SANDWICH
Judging at 2.00 pm in the Judge's Chamber. Get those taste buds working overtime to discover which of our entrants has the talent to make the best sandwich of the lot!

THE PORK PIE OF THE MARCHES
Judging at 3.00 pm in the Judge's Chamber.
There is nothing to compare with the real pork pies produced on a small scale, often made from very old recipes. We're judging the best pork pie in the Marches - and you are welcome to watch. ENTRANTS NEEDED! Commercial pie makers in the Marches, please phone us on 01584 873957 to enter this prestigious event.