Steyning Food and Drink Festival 2020 aims to ‘bring some cheer’ with special offers galore

The annual Steyning and District Food and Drink Festival has been launched this week, with the hopes of bringing some cheer to people as we continue to come out of lockdown.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The organising committee from Steyning and District Community Parnership has put together a bumper four weeks of food and drink offers and events, working against the clock in an unprecedented year.

Unable to bring together all the businesses for the official launch as usual, committee members gathered at The Artisan Bakehouse in Ashurst yesterday for a socially-distanced sneak preview of what is to come.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The festival will run from Saturday, September 5, to Saturday, October 3, and businesses from Steyning, Upper Beeding, Bramber, Wiston, Ashurst and Small Dole are among those involved.

The organising committee launching the Steyning and District Food and Drink Festival 2020 at The Artisan Bakehouse in Ashurst. Picture: Steve Robards SR2008252The organising committee launching the Steyning and District Food and Drink Festival 2020 at The Artisan Bakehouse in Ashurst. Picture: Steve Robards SR2008252
The organising committee launching the Steyning and District Food and Drink Festival 2020 at The Artisan Bakehouse in Ashurst. Picture: Steve Robards SR2008252

Reina Alston said: “We have got a very good programme, being that we have not been able to have the usual indoor events, and I am really proud of what we have achieved.

“This year has been a mighty challenge for us and it hasn’t been easy. We are very sadly missing out on many of our usual headliners but we couldn’t include these because of the restrictions.

“What we have got is just as fun an event, just with a different slant. The special offers are as numerous as ever and the events are mainly outdoor or online.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Our number one ambition this year was to bring cheer. We have had less time to plan it than usual but we have got through and we are very proud of it.

“One real positive is the allotment competition, which is bigger than usual, highlighting that many people in lockdown have turned their spare time to working with the soil, with superb results.”

The charity of the year is St Barnabas House hospice in Worthing. There will be a fundraising coffee and cake morning at Springwells, in High Street, Steyning, on Tuesday, September 22, from 10.30am to midday, plus seven eateries offering a charity dish with a £1 donation and a hamper raffle at Steyning Farmers Market on Saturday, October 3.

Tickets are available for events such as the farm walk with cream tea and star gazing with mulled wine. Other highlights include free events such as the Land Girls exhibition at Steyning Museum, Cocoa Loco chocolate tasting at The Sussex Produce Company and two apple juicing days at Steyning Community Orchard. Visit steyningdistrictfooddrinkfestival.co.uk for full details.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.