Great British Bake Off winner to take part in York Food & Drink Festival

A winner forged in the heat of the Bake Off tent will be demonstrating her foodie skills in York next month.

Frances Quinn, who triumphed in the 2013 series of Great British Bake Off, is one of the headliners taking part in the York Food & Drink Festival (September 18-27).

She will be in the Demonstration Tent, with a recipe or two from her new book, Quinntessential Baking.

Whether she’ll have time to whip up the three-tier Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding cake which saw her crowned the winner by Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry remains to be seen…

Frances is only one of the highlights of this year’s taste-filled jamboree, which this year has the theme Food in Words and Pictures.

The September event is back to its glorious best, after being downsized last year as a result of the Tour de France.

And the popular Festival Taste Trail and Ale Trail will make a welcome return, enabling everyone to go on a gastronomic adventure around York.

As festival director Michael Hjort says: “There’s something for everybody to enjoy.”

Here’s a few highlights…

The markets

The festival markets will span the length of Parliament Street for the full ten days, with more than 100 local food stalls and a selection of mouthwatering street food, including local BBQ-ers Shambles Kitchen.

The Chocolate Fair

For one weekend (September 27-27) The Chocolate City Chocolate Fair will take place in the Guildhall as part of the festival.

Chocolatiers, fudge & cake makers will be on show alongside chocolate-y activities, tastings and workshops.

Kids Activity Zone

New for 2015, the Kid’s Activity Zone will be hosted by family magazine Little Vikings.

Fun foodie activities for kids on both weekends of the festival will include: a food art competition, make your own placemats, make your own pasta necklace, and create your own arty ‘plate of food’.

Festival Cookery School

Learn something new at another 2015 innovation, the Festival Cookery School.

York Cookery School, El Piano Cook School, Harmony House Cookery School, Malton Cookery School and Betty’s Cookery School who will provide free cookery classes to festival-goers throughout the ten days.

A Celebration of Food in Words & Pictures

There are loads of evening events to get your teeth into. This one stars local chefs Andrew Pern, Matt Hunter, Peter Neville and Stu Snell.

Join them in York’s Guildhall for an evening of fine food, with all the profits going to the British Heart Foundation.