What's On Nantwich Food & Drink Festival takes place annually on the last weekend of September on Mill Island adjacent to the town centre. There is an admission charge to get onto the Island but all workshops, demos, talks, tastings etc etc are then free of charge! (The cookery classes have a small additional charge, but you do get to take away what you've cooked!) The centrepiece of the festival is the giant gourmet food marquee housing around 90 food and drink stalls. This has a wooden floor and is easy to get about with pushchairs and wheelchairs - except when very busy (11am - 3pm on Sat). In addition to the indoor stalls there are around a dozen premium outdoor stalls which have more space and freedom to fry, roast, grill and bake food creating enticing aromas and getting your juices going! There are top class cookery demonstrations on the hour every hour throughout the festival in the 100 seat fully equipped cookery theatre, performers include a selection of local and celebrity chefs. The wine tasting marquee this year encompasses champagne and spirits as well as wine, and there are 6 tasting sessions per day (2 of each). The ever popular family marquee includes a kitchen with hourly cookery classes run this year for the first time by Let's Get Cooking (Friday will be school sessions only). They are running some 'cook and taste' workshops aimed at older children and their parents! The wild food workshop is particularly appealing to those wanting to get closer to nature. The tutored tasting workshop has an improved programme this year, with one workshop per hour, watch out for more details here. There are also two cocktail workshops running in parallel, one non-alcoholic for families and the other an adults only alcoholic affair. While in Nantwich, do set some time aside to browse around our historic town centre, you will not be disappointed - learn more by joining one of the daily historic walking tours run by Nantwich Museum. And don't forget there's a CAMRA Beer Festival in the Civic Hall, a Farmers' Market in the Town Square and a traditional market in the Market Hall plus all the top class shops, pubs and restaurants. This year the Sunday event in Nantwich Town Centre has a Victorian Country Fair theme complete with penny farthings, shire horses and brass bands. And best of all - this event is free to all. | 
