J'AIME JULY AUGUST 2018

F O O D & D R I N K
Lichfield: the foodie city
LICHFIELD’S REPUTATION AS A FOODIE HAVEN WILL ONCE AGAIN BE SHOWCASED AT THE
CITY’S SUMMER FOOD FESTIVAL, WHICH TAKES OVER THE CITY FROM AUGUST 25 TO 27
Lichfield, in recent years, has become something of a
mecca for foodies - and nowhere is that encapsulated
more than at the annual Lichfield Food Festival,
which once again takes place over the August Bank
Holiday weekend.
Now in its seventh year, the success of Lichfield Food
Festival goes from strength to strength. Voted as one
of the top ten events to go to in the summer by The
Sun newspaper, it shows that the city of Lichfield like
to ‘put on a good spread’ for its visitors.
Last year, the city welcomed more than 180,000
visitors to its three free festivals - Lichfield Food
Festival, Lichfield Christmas Food and Drink Festival
and Lichfield Home and Garden Festival. This
year’s offerings have expanded to include a Gin,
Ale and Cheese Festival in June as well as Lichfield
Oktoberfest, while the monthly Lichfield Grub Club,
a street food extravaganza, has grown to become an
integral part of the city’s foodie scene since its launch
in March.
This summer, the whole of centre of Lichfield will
be closed down and play host to more than 300 food
and drink stalls with something for everyone, selling
everything from chutney to chillies, jams to jerk
chicken, fudge to fajitas and tipples to treats.
For all of you foodies out there - if you like to
eat while you walk then you might want to take
advantage to the street food traders, selling
tantalising foods from more than 38 countries.
With six former Great British Bake Off celebrities
coming along to take to the Central England Cooperative
Cookery Theatre stage, free cookery
schools, children’s activities, pop up demonstrations
and competitions, this is a family festival with lots
to do for everyone. Whatever you like to do, you are
sure to find something to fill up your August Bank
Holiday weekend at the Lichfield Food Festival.
And the Lichfield Food Festival was just one of the
city’s food and drink providers to get the nod at
the recent Midlands Food, Drink and Hospitality
Awards, which was held at Edgbaston Stadium last
month.
The prestigious awards saw a whole host of
restaurants, chefs, bars and eateries from across
the entire Midlands region go head-to-head to be
crowned best in their category.
Lichfield Food Festival itself narrowly missed out
on the Most Popular Festival title to Birmingham’s
Colmore Food Festival in a hotly contested category.
But it was back to winning ways for the city’s two
other nominees.
Lichfield rising star Liam Dillon, chef-patron at The
Boat Inn, beat off competition from chefs including
Birmingham favourites Aktar Islam and Andy
Waters, as well as Nottingham’s two Michelin-starred
Sat Bains, to be named Best Chef, a huge testament
to the talent of a young chef with an excellent
pedigree, serving up some of the most exciting food
in the city.
And coffee aficionado Deborah Pease and her
team from the hidden gem Melbourne in Lichfield
scooped a well-deserved Best Independent Coffee
Shop award. Debs is renowned for serving up some
of the best coffee Lichfield has to offer, as well as
being single-handedly responsible for introducing the
city to the delights of the turmeric latte - now one
of the coffee shop’s most popular offerings. Starting
life in a small kiosk hidden away in Bolt Court, off
Market Square, Debs recently opened Melbourne
2.0, a spacious coffee shop on Bird Street, which has
quickly become Lichfield’s top coffee spot.
So whatever culinary delights take your fancy,
Lichfield has cemented its reputation as the foodie
city which is bound to offer something to tantalise the
taste buds.
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