Feast of fun at Food Fair

AN estimated 15,000 people attended the 10th annual Wexford Food Fair which attracted more than 50 stall holders including a group from Wales who are forging local business links in a new EU-funded initiative supported by Wexford County Council.

Selskar, the Bullring and South Main Street were filled with the competing aromas and tantalising tastes of home-made sausages, burgers and ribs, jams, chutneys, sauces and pestos, freshly-baked breads, cakes, chocolate crepes and frozen yoghurt, olive oil, cream liquors and craft beers, presented by producers from Wexford and all over Ireland.

The Welsh Food Producers Group who have been coming to Wexford for several years, thanks to travel sponsorship by Stena, were visited by Siobhan Gethings, Project Administrator with Wexford County Council of the Bucanier (Building Clusters and Networks in Innovation, Enterprise and Research) initiative which is supporting businesses on both sides of the Irish sea board, in the growth areas of food and drink, life sciences and renewable energy. The partners are Pembrokeshire County Council, Camarthenshire County Council, Wexford County Council, Board Iascaigh Mhara and IT Campus Carlow.

‘We tried to create a child-friendly atmosphere in the Bullring this year, with doughnuts, candy floss and popcorn and we also had more live music’, said festival organiser Gary Johnston who was delighted with the success of the 10th anniversary event.

The festival opened on Friday night with a ‘Feast from the East’ barbecue courtesy of Greenacres and a White Gypsy craft beer tasting and barbecue at the Sky and the Ground and continued until Sunday evening. Among the producers were Freezin Friesan, Gran Grans of Connemara, the Hartrey Kitchen, Gusto, Cloonagh Smokin Soul and Cocoa Cookhouse.