Every year in September, York is taken over by food and drink lovers in a 10-day long celebration of all things food related. I was invited by Visit York to come and see what is on offer at the York Food and Drink Festival, and as a die-hard foodie I couldn’t resist!
About York Food and Drink Festival
I previously lived in Yorkshire for 10 years during university, and later when I was living and working in Leeds, a short 20 minute train journey from York. However, I had never heard of the York Food and Drink Festival so was keen to learn more. I caught up with Festival Director Michael Hjort at one of the Food Festival Events – a sparkling wine tasting.
Michael is a chef by trade, having trained under Michel Roux in the 1980s. Originally from York, he returned to the city in the 90s and to open one of York’s leading restaurants, Melton’s, and later the Walmgate Alehouse & Bistro. He has been one of the main organisers of the Food Festival since its inception 20 years ago and is now it’s passionate yet understated Director.
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He admitted in the last couple of years they haven’t done much promotion of the York Food and Drink Festival, but now are hoping to encourage more visitors to the festival, which focuses on sustainability, seasonality and supporting the local and regional economy.
I had assumed it was a council-run event but was surprised to learn that the council charges rent for the use of the stand space on Parliamentary Street and Fossgate. Most of the events are run by volunteers, and the cash provided by sponsors who share Michael’s love for food and the community.
In 2020 York Food Festival is currently scheduled to take place from the 18th to 27th September. A full calendar of events is available on the Food Festival website here.
York Food and Drink Festival Events
I was only able to spend a long weekend in York to get a feel for the festival, but there was so much going on I wish I could have stayed all week! I attended the following events as part of the festival:
Guided Historic Pub Walk
Hosted by history buff and all round nice chap Keith Martin, I joined a guided tour through the oldest parts of York to uncover myths and mysteries surrounding York’s historic and heritage pubs. We learned about the history of beer, the beginnings of pubs, inns and taverns and the sometimes gruesome stories of ghosts that haunt the oldest pubs in the city. Keith hosts these tours at various times of the year and runs several during the week of the festival. He donates the £5 cover charge to the local charity Keep Your Pet which offers foster care for elderly people’s pets when they need help looking after them. I thoroughly enjoyed delving into York’s history, and got to know some of York at the same time, I highly recommend this tour! Book your place by emailing Keith on pubwalks4kyp@outlook.com
English Sparkling Wine Tasting
I can’t resist a wine tasting, and this event hosted by Christine Austin, wine writer for the Yorkshire Post, was a fabulous introduction to English Sparkling wines, which now rival French Champagne for quality and taste. We tried 8 different wines, as Christine explained the history of each one, who makes the wine and then talked us through the tasting.
We then had to guess the price of each wine, all priced between £25 and £37 – so much cheaper than champagne and just as good! As is customary with wine tasting, the group got rowdier and more ‘expert’ as the evening progressed, but I must admit I can’t tell the difference between a good wine and a not so good wine! I enjoyed them all, the evening as a whole!
Christine usually hosts at least one event during the food festival and helps organise some of the other wine-related events during the week. You can find her on twitter @christine_wine
Cookery Classes & Demonstrations
I joined the York Cookery School for a taster class on how to make shortbread biscuits. Our teacher was cake designer & director for YorkCakes and York Cookery School Kate Clarkson, who expertly guided us through the ins and outs of our shortbread recipe.
In between stirring and blending ingredients, Kate answered our burning baking questions, and I learned some great tips! Kate then demonstrated how to make some allergy-friendly flapjacks, which we also got to taste at the end. As with all good cooking classes we got to take home our creations (and didn’t have to wash up!).
This class cost a £10 donation to local charity, which they brought in to ensure people signing up actually turned up to the classes. York Cookery School offers classes throughout the year on everything from cake baking, classes for kids and baking masterclasses to preparing for Christmas. The classes also make great gifts for your loved ones. Find full details on their website.
During the week there are tons of classes and demonstrations by local chefs, as well as a young chef’s competition. See the York Food Festival Website for a full calendar of events.
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Food Stalls at the York Food and Drink Festival
The festival hosts over 100 stalls and stands selling every kind of food and drink you could possibly want. I explored the Fossgate Festival on Saturday, which is a new introduction to the Festival to encourage visitors to explore more of York’s foodie delights.
Only open on Saturdays during the festival, you will find temporary stalls here from local foodie producers, as well as permanent shops and restaurants including the wonderful Hairy Fig café and delicatessen which is a delight. Fossgate is well worth exploring for the foodie traveller.
The Shambles Market is open all year round, here you can find handmade crafts, paintings and clothes, and more foodie delights.
Parliament Street & St Sampson’s Square is host to the busiest area of the festival, including the demonstration tent, and at the opposite end the stage which hosts live music every night of the festival. Food and drink stalls line the pedestrian street and the smells drifting on the air are irresistible!
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A lot of stalls offered samples of their wares, which were all greatly received – but I wasn’t just in it for the freebies. I bought some rare breed pork pies from Farmhousedirect, a bag of butterscotch fudge from Spoggs, a bottle of Rhucello rhubarb liqueur, and a splendid Yorkshire Pudding stuffed with roast beef and gravy from Walmgate Alehouse.
York Food Festival Taste Trail
If all that wasn’t enough, another way to explore York through its food is on the Taste Trail. Running throughout the duration of the festival, the Taste Trail is a selection of 24 food and drink suppliers offering samples and discounts to the hungry (or thirsty!) visitor.
The trail map cost £5 per person or £8 for two, and if you are in York for a couple of days is well worth purchasing so you can snack your way around the city. I sadly didn’t plan my visit properly and only managed to visit a few of the stops along the way. Plan yours better, and keep an eye on when each offer is available. Some are closed on Sundays or Mondays so Saturday and later in the week would be best to take full advantage of the trail.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the York Food and Drink Festival, and would definitely recommend it to foodies, or indeed anyone who enjoys tasty, good value food and drink! Have a look at their website for full details of all the events.
Where to Stay in York
Hostels in York
Hostels are opening up again now, and with the right safety protocols in place can be a great way to enjoy York on a budget, whether you are ready for a dorm room or prefer to book a private room. Check the details of what new procedures have been brought in and make sure you feel confident in the hostel before booking.
Astor York
Astor York is a lovely hostel in a listed building about 10 minutes walk from the centre of York. It gets great reviews for the staff, amenities and social activities.
The Fort Boutique Hostel
The Fort is in a great location right in the centre of York. It gets great reviews for the location, comfy beds and cleanliness. It’s above a bar so could be noisy at the weekends, but a pair of earplugs should sort that out.
Hotels in York
There is no shortage of great hotels in York. I especially love the smaller independently run bed and breakfast style hotels in York, where the owners really go out of their way to take care of guests.
No.21 York
I stayed at the award-winning No.21 York Bed & Breakfast and loved it! Owners Simon and Andrea are so kind and welcoming it felt like home. The Bed and Breakfast is located close to the Museum Gardens, and the rooms are comfortable and spotlessly clean. Simon and Andrea use local ingredients for their delicious breakfast and homemade bread, and source as many of their produce & services as possible from within a 20-mile radius of York.
Tower Guesthouse
Tower Guesthouse is another popular choice when visiting York. It is slightly further out of the city than No. 21, about a mile away from York Minster, but the boutique style and luxurious decor makes up for the walk. Guests also loved the great breakfast and friendly staff.
If neither of those takes your fancy, you can browse all hotels in York here.
Airbnb in York
There are also lots of options for Airbnbs in York. If you are looking for a private room, how about this gorgeous loft in a townhouse or this lovely suite with private bathroom.
For a whole place to yourself, this riverside studio has onsite parking and gets great reviews for cleanliness and for its location 5 minutes from the Shambles. Of if you’re really looking to push the boat out, this stunning flat could be the one for you!
Alternatively, you can check out all the options for Airbnb in York. Read my full Airbnb guide.
Have you been to the food festival in York? I’d love to hear what you think about the York Food and Drink Festival, please share your comments below!
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Thank you to Visit York for inviting me to the Festival, to the York Food and Drink Festival for allowing me to take part in the complimentary wine tasting. I donated personally to the charity events.
Some of my experiences were complimentary, but as always all views are my own – and the fact I had a fabulous time definitely influenced my opinions of the York Food Festival!
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Sounds great! I’m going to earmark this event for next year – we only live an hour or so away.
Agreed Cori, the food stalls were all great but there were plenty of activities to get involved with, and lots of stuff suitable for kids too
Definitely!! That yorkshire pudding was good – and everything I brought home was yummy too, but still so much to try! Will put it in my diary for next year!!
The taste trail was great – just make sure you have enough time to do all the tastings! I didn’t know about the English sparkling wine either but it was really rather good!
It was great – perfect for foodies and adventurers! 🙂
That sounds like so much fun! I would have to go back several days to make sure I do all of the fun stuff. I love to sample new foods, try classes, and I’m always down for a pub walk!
I think I would be most excited by the Taste Trail! I need to make a food festival happen for me sooner rather than later! Seems like I’m missing out! And I didn’t know England produced sparkling wines?! Guess you learn something new everyday 🙂
A great festival with so much food choices it was hard deciding what to eat but glad we settle on the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding a proper Yorkshire dish! we will have to go back next year to try all the other delights yumyum
This looks like a lot of fun! I love the idea of cooking classes — anything beyond just a row of food stalls. I loved York the last time I visited.
Thanks for the overview of the festival – we did our own food and drink festival while in York lol which consisted of many restaurant stops and pub crawls, but I would love to get back one year for the actual event!
This sounds like a fantastic food festival. I’m going to send the link to your post to my uncle who lives in Yorkshire. I would love to do the tour of historic pubs, the Taste Trail and sample some English wine.
Yumm! All of that food looks amazing! I’d love to go and check out the stalls and go to a cooking class or two.
Freshly baked bread, English pubs and butterscotch fudge…who can resist. York looks like a lovely spot for foodies. Reading this has made me hungry.
Haha, yup all that tasty food is enough to get anyone’s mouth watering!! 😉
Hi Anne, oh what a shame you’ll miss it this year – keep it in mind for 2017! Enjoy Macedonia 🙂
Oh yes it was fabulous – although I should clarify – this isn’t New York, it is (old) York in England 🙂
This smells like a really savoury experience you had in the New York Food festival. Some amazing food and drinks.
I too am from Yorkshire and have never come across this but love the idea of wine tasting (who doesn’t?), shortbread making (although I’m a disaster in the kitchen) and the taste trail. I can’t make it this weekend as I’m heading off the Macedonia but would love to do this next year
Oh man reading this with 20 minutes to go for lunch was probably not the best idea haha. This looks so good, and that taste trail has my name written all over it!