Get ready to eat and be merry at garden fete

It’s that time of year again. Nelmac Garden Marlborough is fast approaching and so is the Stihl Shop Garden Fete.

And this year, Eat Street is back, and bigger than ever.

The street was introduced at the Stihl Shop Garden Fete last year and the follow-up has grown to include 40 food stalls.

Some will be scattered throughout the fete, but most will take up residence on Seymour Street, in front of the clock tower.

The street will be set up with bench seating, allowing visitors to sit and eat their food.

Nelmac Garden Marlborough event manager Jodie Griffiths says the event gives people the ‘‘opportunity to gather and chat and eat and drink and all that’’.

Local food and produce will feature among the 40 food stalls, as well as others that have travelled further, Griffiths says.

‘‘There will be a whole range of things. We’ve stuck to just real fruit ice-creams this year, but a lot of wraps, street-food sort of style,’’ Griffiths says.

Just about all the food vendors from last year are returning, as well as a few new ones. Some of the returning vendors are Feast Merchants, of Blenheim, and Viva la Vaca from Nelson.

The fete itself will have 150 stalls. Griffiths says about half of them are garden or plant related.

Nelmac will have a display of hanging baskets as well as their plant creche, where they look after your plants while you shop.

The rest are mainly craft stalls, selling wares such as soaps, clothing, hats and jewellery.

There will also be entertainment throughout the day from some members of the brass band and later Rapaura School band.

‘‘There will be a whole range of things. We’ve stuck to just real fruit icecreams this year, but a lot of wraps, street-food sort of style.’’

A presentation of garden awards will take place at the fete.

Griffiths says they usually have between 6000 and 8000 visitors at the Stihl Shop Garden Fete, but turnout normally depended on the weather. They had already sold more than 3000 tickets for their other Nelmac Garden Marlborough tours and workshops this year.

The fete will run from 9am to 3pm on November 12 in Seymour Square, Blenheim.

Entry is free.

RICKY WILSON/STUFF Jodie Griffiths, Nelmac Garden Marlborough event manager ‘Eat street’ at last year’s Stihl Shop Garden Fete, as part of Nelmac Garden Marlborough.