They were literally dancing in the streets in Cockermouth this weekend as Taste Cumbria food festival rocked the town once more.
Now in its 16th year, this celebration of food and drink saw thousands of people enjoying the flavours on offer. With 70 producers on stalls in Main Street and Market Place, two music stages including one at Jennings Brewery, and loads more entertainment in the town’s pubs, this was a packed event for all the family.
Sadly, high winds cut the celebrations short on the Sunday, but businesses and traders still reported a brilliantly busy weekend.
Market Place hosted a street party and the Festival Stage with crowds up and dancing on the Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Food producers were texting their teams to say ‘bring me everything you’ve got - and I mean everything’ as they sold out of many product lines. Demonstrations from the teams at SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel, Gilpin Spice and Whitehaven’s private chef Jon Fell attracted plenty of foodies keen to learn from the experts and taste the dishes they cooked.
The Taste Cumbria festivals are organised by Cumberland Council and the sponsors and supporters for this event were: Cockermouth Town Council, The Coffee Kitchen Bakery, Jennings Brewery, Milburns Solicitors, Rock With and Cockermouth & District Chamber of Trade.
Councillor Anne Quilter, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Vibrant and Healthy Places, said:
“What a brilliant weekend. It was disappointing the forecast changed dramatically overnight and high wind gusts were predicted for Sunday afternoon, so we were forced to make the decision to close early to keep our traders and visitors safe.
“Luckily the weather didn’t spoil the whole weekend as the Saturday was absolutely amazing. Traders were dipping into their next days’ stock to satisfy demand from hungry shoppers, the hot food traders were selling out, and the pubs and cafes were crammed with people eating, drinking and enjoying everything Cockermouth has to offer.
“Thank you to everyone who visited, to the town’s businesses for joining in the fun, and to the traders who support us every year by applying for stalls. Thank you also to our incredible event team and contractors who pull out all the stops to put on these festivals and shine a light on the county’s fabulous produce.”
Taste Cumbria Christmas will take place in Cockermouth on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December. Find out more at www.tastecumbria.co.uk