North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival at Holkham Hall this Saturday and Sunday

The annual North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival is back for its 14th year on Saturday and Sunday.

Held in the gorgeous surroundings of the Walled Garden at Holkham Hall, the Festival boasts around 70 artisan producer stands, selling everything from cheese to jam, sourdough bread to fresh veg, tasty pies, craft beer, gin, sparkling wine, cakes and much more.

There is also a large pop-up street food concession area where visitors can tuck into gourmet pizzas, a hog roast, curries, fresh lemonade, freshly ground coffee and other tasty treats. A very popular bar, run by Malt Coast Brewery, sells a wide range of drinks including great cocktails and non-alcoholic offerings too.

A highlight of the Festival is the Arthur Howell Cookery Theatre where local foodie Andy Newman is the host. The line-up of chefs and local artisan producers taking part includes Two Magpies Bakery founder Rebecca Bishop who is demonstrating how to make sourdough pizza, Lewis Peck from The Parlour at Binham is making a brunch dish using the farm’s own raw milk and Jenny May, of Norma’s Kitchen in Lynn, is giving a children’s cookery lesson. And watch out for Danielle Wilson of Norwich’s Mindful Mixology who is talking cocktails.

There is a children’s play area, traditional farm machinery on display, the East Anglia Children’s Hospice has a stand as does Norfolk Restaurant Week, a hugely popular event for foodies that takes place every autumn.

The festival, which attracts up to 12,000 visitors over two days, is dog friendly, and entry is free, with car parking charged at £5 per car. It opens from 10am to 4pm each day.

The festival is run as a not-for-profit event by a team of volunteers who consider their main role to be promoting small, local businesses including both producers and chefs.

Visitors to the festival can also enjoy the vast offering at Holkham, including a tour of Holkham Hall - an 18th century Palladian style mansion - the Holkham Stories Experience, the Courtyard Gift Shop and Cafe, cycle hire and a high ropes course. There are many lovely estate walks and cycleways to explore too, and also Holkham beach which is regularly voted one of the best in the country.

The event is held by kind permission of the Earl and Countess of Leicester and this year’s headline sponsor is once again Norwich-based Kettle Foods, with support from North Norfolk Living magazine, The Real Ale Shop on the Holkham Estate, and Essence Foods, who are based near Fakenham.