Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival: Everything you need to know about Suffolk’s biggest food event this autumn

Suffolk’s biggest food and drink festival is returning for another year this autumn with a stellar line-up of UK’s renowned chefs.

The Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, held at Snape Maltings, near Aldeburgh, is an annual two-day event which aims to showcase and celebrate the region’s culinary scene.

Now in its 18th year, the non-for-profit event will take place on the weekend of September 23 and 24 with masterclasses, live demonstrations and seafood street food.

Lady Caroline Cranbrook, the festival’s president, said: “The Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival is now well established as one of the very best in the country, famous for the quality, quantity and variety of its locally-produced food and drink, its friendliness – and for the beauty of Snape Maltings where it is held.

“It has proved to be a highly successful and very enjoyable way of introducing visitors to Suffolk’s wonderful food and drink, to the people who produce it and to the land from where it comes.”

The masterclasses will be held across two stages, every hour, on the hour, and will include cocktail classes from Adnams, kimchi-making with Jeong-un Creagh of Korean Kitchen as well as dough-making with Two Magpies Bakery co-founder Rebecca Bishop.

Other top chefs headlining the festival include Thomasina Miers, the co-founder of Wahaca restaurants, Nicola Hordern, award-winning head chef at Southwold’s The Canteen and George Pell, director of The Suffolk in Aldeburgh and L’Escargot in London.

Cyrus Todiwala, OBE of acclaimed Indian restaurant Café Spice Namasté, will also be at the event.

As well as cooking classes, the grounds will be filled with more than 140 stalls which will be offering a wide range of goods, including fresh, organic vegetables, locally-produced honey, handcrafted chocolates, cheese and bread.

Vegan options will also be available.

This year’s festival will also include new features such as a cocktail bar from a Suffolk cocktail company Niche.

Visitors will be offered an insight into the chocolate-making process which will be demonstrated by an award-winning chocolatiers Pump Street Chocolate.

Additionally, Aldeburgh’s prestigious restaurant The Suffolk will be hosting a barbecue in their brand-new festival eatery along the quay.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased for £12 on the day or for £10 in advance.

For more information on the even or to buy tickets click here.

Children under 16 go for free.