Ribble Valley food festivals will make the mouth water in August

Clitheroe Food Festival will be the sweet dessert to finish off a five-course meal of delicious food-based events celebrating the best of local produce from the Ribble Valley and beyond.

The week-long Ribble Valley “Taste Fest” will run from August 3rd to 9th leading to Clitheroe Food Festival on Saturday August 10th.

It all adds up to a week-long celebration of food and drink that will create a “food mecca” packed with flavours that will appeal to visitors of all ages.

The festival is so popular that demand from traders for a stall has outstripped the space available and places are fully booked.

A park and ride scheme will be in operation. The usual location - Clitheroe Auction Mart - is unavailable and so visitors are encouraged to use alternative park and ride schemes to and from Hanson’s Cement, West Bradford Road, and Edisford Road public car park.

Both festivals are organised by Ribble Valley Borough Council to showcase the best of the best of the area’s food and drink and draw in visitors to discover what the Ribble Valley has to offer. And while the emphasis will be on local produce, other parts of the county will also feature.

“This is a marvellous opportunity to showcase the wide range of mouth-watering locally-produced food and drink the Ribble Valley has to offer,” said Nicola Hopkins, the council’s director of economic development and planning.

“It’s also a great way for local businesses to access new customers and expand sales to a new audience. The festivals help cement the Ribble Valley’s growing reputation as the ‘food capital of the north’ with top class food and drink at its heart.

“They attract more than 20,000 people from across the country so it’s a brilliant marketplace to display the artisan skills we have on offer. Last year’s events were more popular than ever and we want to build upon that success and deliver a foodies’ dream festival.”

The Taste Festival will include tasting experiences, themed walks, food demonstrations, brewery tours and visit to farms and food venues.

The week-long eating experience will culminate in the Clitheroe Food Festival which takes over the town centre and will include street entertainment, live music and more.