Food and fun on menu at tasty festival

THINGS are hotting up for a major food festival as it heads to Birmingham on a mission to entertain while helping the city’s homeless.

Foodies Festival will return for its fifth year on June 21 to 23 with more than 25,000 people expected to flock to Cannon Hill Park for the fun-packed event.
They will be met by a smorgasbord of treats from artisan producers as well as celebrity cooking demonstrations, drinks masterclasses and chilli-eating contests.
There’s a hearty helping of culinary genius drawn from the city including ‘Yummy Brummie’ Glynn Purnell seen hosting BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen this summer and Michelin-starred chef Brad Carter of Carters of Moseley.

The eatery has just been placed in the top 100 restaurants list compiled by Restaurant magazine and has also nabbed the No 1 Fit For Foodies award by OpenTable reviewers.
Brad, 34, said: “Of all the events I go to, I love Birmingham Foodies Festival as it’s on my home turf. I can cook for Brummies. This year I’m showing them smoked pork neck and what you can do on a barbecue other than burn sausages!”
Celebrity talent will also be served up by telly chef Simon Rimmer, as seen on BBC One and Channel 4,  cooking his favourite dishes.
And this week more names have been added to the line-up including James Wong of The Chung Ying Restaurant in Birmingham and Jacques Van Der Merwe who opens a new restaurant, creating 40 jobs, in a converted HSBC bank in Knowles later this year. 

For a second year the festival will host the Musicians Against Homelessness music stage as part of its bid to support Crisis UK.
For every ticket sold, the festival will make a donation to the charity for homeless people.

Music-lovers can see top Queen and Chic tribute bands as well as The Neville Staple Band and a host of emerging bands and soloists.

Tickets, including VIP packages, are on sale at www.foodiesfestival.com and 0844 9951111