NANTWICH FOOD FESTIVAL 2026 IS HERE!

It’s now 16 years since Nantwich Food Festival moved from its previous home on Mill Island, into the historic town centre and became totally volunteer run and FREE to enter.

The Nantwich Food Festival remains one of the largest, if not THE LARGEST, high quality free food festivals in the UK.

With 70% of the festival under cover, whatever the weather you’ll be sorted!

Festival Friday starts at 11am with the usual quiet hour for those who want or need to browse the stalls in both marquees without the crowds; the Festival then runs until 8pm including chef demos, town centre entertainment, great live music and many exhibitors

Festival Saturday runs from 9am - 7pm with more of the above.

Festival Sunday is 10am - 5pm with even more to see, do and experience.

SO WHAT ELSE IS ON ?

Apart from 200 exhibitors from near and far, great food & drink, fantastic music, lots of other entertainment to suit all ages and tastes ... and a wonderful atmosphere?

Well, as you ask ...

We are pleased to see that the much-anticipated return of Cookalong sessions still have some places available for master-classes where participants can work under the tuition of experts and professional chefs; just go to: 

https://www.nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk/cookalong/

...to book your place.

With only 12 places per session, the availability of some unfilled places is great news for those of us leaving things a bit late

There are also still some places available on the breakfast and lunch Food History Walking Tours that have been so popular over the last two years; these are led by Nantwich Museum and Food Festival Volunteers.

If you would like to learn more about the town’s food history while enjoying tasty food and drinks, just book your place on: 

https://www.nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk/eventslist/

The Festival cake competition has a few unfilled places; hurry as these usually get snapped up quickly. This year’s theme is Coffee and Walnut Cake.

Judging is Sunday 6th September at 1.45pm and there are great prizes to be won, donated by Cheerbrook.

Enter via email at:

cakecompnantwichfoodfestival@gmail.com 

There is still just time to vote for your favourite eateries for the eight Nantwich Food Awards that are eagerly contested each year.

You need to be quick though, as voting closes at midnight on the final Festival Day, September 6^th.

Cast your votes for all awards, from best restaurant to bar stars, from best coffee shop to Taste of Nantwich – and more via: 

https://www.nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk/food-awards/

The Chef Demonstrations are always incredibly popular, with all of them free to enter and all taking place in the Reaseheath Food Theatre, Love Lane, so whatever the weather, you can sit down to watch the demos under cover.

Dion Jones, Executive Head Chef of Rookery Hall kicks off the Friday action in the Food Theatre; Dion has a great pedigree including having recently won the Welsh National Chef of the Year 2026.Next up is the talented patissiere, Babna; if you have seen her demonstrating previously, you won’t want to miss this demo. Babna’s motto is “Patisserie Desserts Made Easy!” Babna also leads a Cookalong session.

Stavros, head chef from Nantwich’s multi award-winning St Martha Greek Taverna will then showcase his talent – we eat at his restaurant, so are delighted to see him return this year. Then to finish the Friday line-up, there is the wonderful Jill Weatherburn, who tells us “I’m planning some energy saving recipes for my demo, so am using the hob and saving on washing up" Sounds perfect to us, Jill!

On Festival Saturday if you love cooking, you won’t want to leave the demonstration marquee with not one, but two celebrity chefs. First up is Nigel Brown, much loved by all Nantwich Food Festival regulars.

After Nigel, there are 2 chances to see Celeb chef, Lisa Faulkner demonstrating – at 12MD and 2pm. Lisa has 3 cookbooks to her name, and an easy-going, yet informative cooking style that is sure to appeal to all, honed via her many TV appearances,. She has been high on the list to book for Nantwich for 3 years, but things haven’t come to fruition until now, so the organisers are delighted to welcome her this year.

3pm onwards will be a treat when Luke Richardson, Head Chef of The Sticky Walnut, Chester, showcases his talents. Luke says ‘My true passion is French classics and modern bistro food. They kind of meld into the Neo-Bistro style of food that I love to cook’ Luke – we can’t wait!

Then to finish Saturday in the Food Theatre, we welcome Andrew Soddy, Crewe Hall’s Executive Chef. With a world of experience, from luxury cruise liners to the heart of London's West End and even cooking for HM Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew's menus are a delightful blend of the finest local seasonal produce with a touch of international flair.

Festival Saturday is not to be missed!

More Festival perfection follows on Sunday with a return by Nigel Brown, who will – somehow – make time to get to the Cookalong kitchen to lead a masterclass as well as his work in the Food Theatre.

The second Celebrity Chef on Sunday is Jon Watts, who demonstrates at both 12MD and 2pm. Jon has produced 3 best selling cookbooks and one of the more interesting back stories regarding his life before becoming a chef. Do check Festival social media for details of him signing his books.

Finally, Nantwich’s Harry Walker of Deuce, Hospital St provides the final demonstration of Festival 2026.

As usual there will be British sign language interpretation for some of the chef demonstrations in support of the Festival’s continuing approach towards inclusivity.

Direct Access, a Nantwich business with nationwide presence, will again provide a calm area throughout the weekend to help anyone in need of peace, quiet and minimal stimuli; this has worked so well over the last few years that Festival organisers are delighted to have their involvement again.

It is important to mention the work Nantwich Food Festival does in support of charities; in addition to periodic collections on behalf of Nantwich FoodBank, free stalls are offered to a number of key charities to enable them to make the best use of any income. Do make time to visit the North West Air Ambulance stall in the Mornflake Pavilion; this charity receives no central funding, so hear how you can support their life-saving charitable work that needs £18 million each year to enable it to continue.

Read more at:

https://www.nwairambulance.org.uk/how-you-can-help/

Finally, sustainability:

The Festival team has been working towards improved sustainability for some years and this year the new Sustainability and Waste Lead, Boki Ashmore, has been busy producing a guide that visitors can access shortly via the website.

In addition to promoting the free bus travel from the local area on Festival Friday and Saturday, Boki has helped set up some initiatives that have far-reaching environmental effects:

• Clearly signed, colour coded bins for waste disposal close to the main Festival sites; you can help by using the correct bin for your waste
• A free water refill point is at Costa; don’t forget to do your bit by bringing your refillable water bottle  
• A Waste Pack for Festival Traders, covering packaging, single-use serveware and portion planning
• New waste arrangements agreed with Cheshire East Council: all waste will be sorted off site, none of it will go to landfill
• Surplus stock will go to local partners for redistribution at the end of each Festival day
• Work is well underway on moving away from diesel generators, with more work still to come

Boki only joined the Festival Team this year, but has already made a sizeable impact on its eco-footprint!

If you have any ideas or would like to work with her, Boki would be pleased to hear from you; just email her on:

sustainability@nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk

For up-to-date information on all issues described here, go to #nantwichfoodfestival or the Festival website: 

www.nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk

Yes, the Nantwich Food Festival is well and truly ready for action!