From tutored tastings and talks, to mouth-watering demos & lively debates –  the full line up for the Virtual Abergavenny Food Festival 2020 is now live! 

Though social distancing means meeting in real life is currently out of the question, the complete programme for the Virtual Abergavenny Food Festival 2020 (14th – 20th September) is now live, promising a week packed full of lively debates, inspiration and food for thought.

A collection of top chefs, cooks, food writers, producers and masters of their trade will gather online to share their stories, passions and insider knowledge with hundreds of online attendees.

Featuring virtual tasting workshops, demos and cookery classes from some of the best in the business, the full schedule of events is now available on the Abergavenny Food Festival website and signing up early is encouraged as places – though free – are limited.

The Virtual Abergavenny Food Festival – Full Schedule #VAFF2020

• On Monday 14th September at 7pm, long-time festival friend Kate Humble will be kick things off with her talk, A Year of Living Simply. Kate will be interviewed by BBC Wales Economics Correspondent Sarah Dickins, and will look at the way that having ‘stuff'  is all too often peddled as the sure-fire route to happiness. To sign up for Kate's talk, click here. Attendees will also have a chance to win a signed copy of the book.
• On Tuesday 15th September at 6.30pm, Carolyn Steel will be in conversation with writer and broadcaster Sheila Dillon, taking a look at why a good food revolution is needed, and how we can ‘build back better' through food. To sign up for Carolyn's talk, click here. Attendees on the night will also have a chance to win a signed copy of her new book, Sitopia.
• On Wednesday 16th September at 6pm, Sabrina Ghayour – chef, cookery teacher and best selling author – will host a cook-along class demonstrating how to make her much-loved staple of Persian cuisine, Maast-o-esfenaj – spinach & yogurt with walnuts. To receive the ingredients list and to sign up for Sabrina's class, click here. Attendees on the night will also have the chance to win a signed copy of her latest cookbook, SIMPLY.
• At 7.30pm, join Kate Jenkins as she tells the story of Gower Cottage Brownies, her kitchen table business that has grown into so much more. In the spirit of the Abergavenny Food Festival, Kate will send out 100 Gower Cottage Brownie gift boxes to random attendees – sign up to her Online Food Business masterclass here.
• On Thursday 17th September at 4pm, join food writer, stylist and cook Anna Jones for Veg Out; think Gardener’s question time but with vegetables! Anna will take us through the veg in peak season now, and her favourite ways to cook and eat them. There will be plenty of time for questions, whether you need ideas for what to do with a glut or how to cook more usual veg varieties. Sign up here.
• Later that evening (7pm), transport yourself to the Chase Distillery with an exhilarating tour and tasting event from the comfort of your sofa. Tasting “supplies” can be ordered from the distillery by clicking here – sign up to the free event by clicking here. Attendees on the night will also have the chance to win some delicious prizes.
• On Friday 18th September at 6.30pm, Olive Oil sommelier Bob Curbishley will guide attendees through an Olive Oil Masterclass. To order a tasting pack of olive oils for this event, visit Belazu, and sign up for your free space at the online tasting here.
• At 7.30pm, join beer and cider experts Pete Brown and Susanna Forbes for a tasting of craft beer, cider and perry from Wales. Please click here for details on what the pair will be tasting, and info on how to order your own supplies from our friends at Discover Delicious.

Saturday 19th September

Over festival weekend, we have a bumper selection of delicious events to choose from; kicking off with the Cook School Club at 10.30am – a chance for your child to cook along with Amanda and Kristian, the co-founders of Cook School. To sign up click here.

• This is followed at 3pm by a chef demo from Cyrus Todiwala and Mike Warner in the Café Namasté Kitchen – cooking up a storm with Welsh Seafood sourced from the Port to Plate team. To sign up, click here.
• At 4pm, join Caws Cenarth Master Cheesemaker Carwyn Adams direct from his dairy in the Teifi valley, who will be joined by the irrepressible Fiona Beckett to taste some wonderful Welsh cheeses with matched tipples. Sign up by clicking here, and purchase your cheeses direct from Caws Cenarth by clicking here.
• At 5pm the Food & Agricultural Debate will look at Agriculture in all its forms – will it be “fit” for future generations? Very different systems produce very different outcomes. In the absence of this years fireworks, maybe we will get to see some at this event! Sign up for your place by clicking here.
• At 6.30pm, join us for what promises to be an action-packed talk on all things bread, and a chance to ask award-winning writer and broadcaster Tim Hayward a few questions along the way. Attendees will also have a chance to win signed copies of Tim's new book, LOAF STORY- A Love-Letter to Bread. To sign up, click here

Sunday 20th September

Sunday's festival programme kicks off at 10.30am with another session at the Cook School Club at 10.30am – to nab a place for you and the family, click here.

• At 11.30am, join Ollie Hunter, (Chef, restauranteur and author of the book '30 Easy Ways to Join the Food Revolution: A sustainable cookbook') visits the Langton’s Farm in Crickhowell – an organic, start-up farm that’s already in production providing veg boxes to the community. Take a tour of the farm and watch Ollie cook a delicious dahl made on-site with super-fresh produce, by clicking here.
• At 3pm, join chef Hywel Griffiths for a demonstration in his Michelin starred kitchen at The Beach House, followed by a Q&A on all things food from the Gower – and beyond. To sign up, click here.
• At 5pm, writer, broadcaster and restauranteur Simon Wright leads the charge to talk about issues around the restaurant business with a discussion on Today's restaurants – do we need them? Get involved – and come armed with some questions – by signing up here.All events at the Virtual Abergavenny Food Festival 2020 are free to attend, but spaces will be limited, so booking for each event as soon as possible is highly recommended.