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Celebrate the revival of
British food culture
 

In Association with the Elizabeth David Estate

Exploring our past and championing our future with the finest food and drink of the South Downs & Coast.
At Stansted Park 
Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, PO9 6DX
 
Starts at 10:30 AM to 5:00  PM
September, 2025 [Dates to be confirmed] 
Launched by Dame Prue Leith along with Thomasina Miers, OBE

 

The South Downs Food Festival was launched by Dame Prue Leith in September 2024, bringing together food enthusiasts, chefs, food writers, campaigners and artisan producers for a weekend of gastronomic delight, stimulating talks, and delicious events. Scheduled for September 2025 by popular demand, this festival will feature a rich array of food and drink from across the South Downs and beyond.

A Feast for the Senses

Surrounded by the forests and parkland of the Stansted Park estate in the South Downs National Park, the festival will indulge in the finest Sussex and Hampshire produce, gourmet dishes, and locally brewed beverages. The festival will host a “street” of over 40 artisan producers, a ‘Stansted Arm’s Pub’, cookery demo tent, live music, wood-fired catering, picnics, chef’s table and Tea on the Terrace.  The festival is a chance to explore local produce, from wild venison to hedgerow walks, pasture-fed beef to grilled corn-on-the-cob. It’s a celebratory harvest festival of local food and drink.

STALL HOLDERS

Tea Spritz

Wicker Basket Drinks
Hove, West Sussex

Bavette Steak & Rosemary Potatoes

Wood Fire
Petworth

Asian Fusion offering

Lux Organic
Petersfield

Cheese

Alsop & Walker
East Sussex

Bread

South Downs Sourdough
Cheriton, Hampshire

Fruit infusion drinks

Fruitology
Horsham, Sussex

Charity

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Hampshire / Isle of Wight

Olives

Kotinos Foods
London

Fresh Pasta & Sauce Kits

Nonna Tonda
London

Organic Veg Boxes

Riverford
Winchester, Hampshire

Games

Rowans Hospice
Waterlooville

Olive, Baklava, Turkish

Taste of the Mediterranean
Bedford

Burgers

3 Bros Burgers
Cowfold, West Sussex

Wild Venison

Big Green Egg
Stansted

Foodie

Moodie Foodie
Elephant & Castle

Cider/apple drinks

Apples Bloom
Nutbourne, West Sussex

Patisserie

Crane Events
Alton, Hampshire

Fudge

Fudging Fabulous
Portsmouth

Cheese

Hampshire Cheese Company
Basingstoke

Chilli Sauce

Leaf me Saucy
East Hampshire

Wooden Boards

Peter Leslie
Petersfield

Sparkling Wine

Roebuck Estate
Petworth, Sussex

Cheese and Charcuturie

Slow Grown Farm
Petworth, Sussex

Condiments

The Real Condiment Company
West Marden, Sussex

Crepes

Crepe Britian
West Sussex

Sweetcorn

OFYR Grill
Stansted

Sausages

Boerie Licious
Farnborough

English Sparkling

Ashling Park
West Ashling, Sussex

Pottery

Emsworth Pottery
Emsworth

Olive Oil

The Gay Farmer
Midhurst

Honey

Honey Bee Happy
Alresford, Hampshire

Sweet Treats

Louilegh's Sweet Treats
Fareham

Pizza & Ice Cream

Pizza at the Park
Stansted Park Farm Shop

Cake and Pimms

Rowans Hospice
Waterlooville

Bakery

Sodt Bakery
Petworth, Sussex

Olive Oil

Two&One
South Downs

Sushi

Little Fish
Liphook

Ice Cream

Whippy Ice

Wooden Bowls

Adam Lafosse
Idsworth, West Sussex

Healthy Snacks

Boka
Winchester, Hampshire

Venison/Sustainable Meat

Fair Game Project
South Downs

Gin & Spirits

Georgie and Henners
Steyning, Sussex

Tea and Coffee

Kiki T's
Liphook

Pies

Mud Foods
Midhurst

Cheese

Ripe Cheese
Wimbourne

Cooking Equipment Store

Rowans Hospice
Waterlooville

Brandy

Spirit of the Downs
Bolney, Sussex

Charity

Western Sussex River Trust
West Sussex
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2024 Festival Themes

There was also a series of talks in the spectacular Travelling Barn on the ‘British Food Revival’ inspired by Elizabeth David, the post-war food writer, run by the journalist and author, Rachel Cooke. On day one, Cooke hosted discussions with the writers Diane Purkiss and Prue Leith.  On day two, the ‘Future of Food’ looked at how we feed ourselves while protecting our environment. There was also discussions between Thomasina Miers, chef, restaurateur & writer, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Alex Briggs, Weald to Waves manager, and Peter Gladwin, chef, writer, restaurateur, and Nutbourne vineyard owner.

Exploring our past and championing our future with the finest food and drink of the South Downs & Coast.

Highlights of the Festival 

The Big Lunch

Join us for the South Downs Festival THE BIG LUNCH in support of Rowans Hospice (all profits going to Rowans) on Saturday 14th Sept at 1pm in the Stansted Arboretum. Tickets are £70 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com with your festival ticket. More

Tastings

Charcuterie, English Sparkling, Sussex Cheeses, Organic wines – meet the producers, find out how the food and drink was created and taste what makes them special.

Sustainability Focus

How do we combine modern farming and creating food with protecting our environment? Discover the people who are making a difference to our local chalk streams while working with farmers, from the Western Sussex Rivers Trust to , Isle of Wight based Ellen MacArthur Foundation is working on a global scale to promote a circular economy for food. Any surplus food from the festival will be gathered and redistributed by UK Harvest.

Chef Demos

Thomasina Miers heads up the Demo tent, with wood-fired inspired cookery demos on the Big Green Egg and OFYR grill, a Hambledon Vineyard dish by Michelin-starred chef Nick Edgar, a venison butchery class and discussion on wild game, sourdough bread-making and a pickling demo, this will be delicious entertainment.

The Street

This is a truly South Downs market, with over 30 Sussex and Hampshire food and drink producers, from Chalkstream trout to farm charcuterie, vinegars to kimchi, Stansted honey to horseradish sauce, and of course, plenty of gin, beer and wine. Shopping has never been such fun!

Family-Friendly Activities

Hedgerow foraging walks, a dedicated kids’ zone with cooking, face-painting and a coconut shy; the festival is perfect for families looking to enjoy a day out together.

Local Lunch

Choose between wild venison, pasture-fed beef, wood-fired pizza, vegetarian salads, sushi, crepes and more with grills lit and charcoal smoking.

Elizabeth David Exhibition

Auberon Waugh once said that food writer Elizabeth David would get his vote as the single person most responsible for improving British life in the twentieth century.  We can attribute the post-war British Food Revival to Elizabeth David and her cook books and the festival will bring her kitchen back to life at Stansted Park. We have brought in her furniture, personal objects and papers into the glorious Edwardian kitchen. Visitors can now be in just the sort of space and atmosphere in which Elizabeth conceived her books, tested the recipes, cooked and entertained her friends and family.  Stansted House admission including the Elizabeth David Exhibition will be half price during the festival (£5). 

Live Music and Entertainment

The festival atmosphere will be enhanced by live performances from local bands ‘Superstrings’ and ‘Lady and the Dukes’ ensuring a vibrant and enjoyable experience for all ages.

2024 Festival Contributors

Speakers & Panelists

Artisan Food from the
Coast & Downs

In association with 

The Earl of March Lavant

Adam Hadwen, former chef, has taken over this jewel of the Sussex crown. His passion for local produce and foraging is evident in his diverse menu.

Charles Peck

Charles Peck are a friendly and professional, independent firm of estate agents.

Elizabeth David Estate

Elizabeth David CBE was a British cookery writer. In the mid-20th century she strongly influenced the revitalisation of home cookery.

Stansted Park Farm Shop

Showcase for the amazing variety of produce that is now being crafted in Sussex and Hampshire and along the South Downs and coast.

THE PIG Hotels

THE PIG Hotels, known for our commitment to embrace the essence of local produce, proudly presents our very own English Sparkling wines sourced from the Bee Tree Vineyard.

Lazy Susan

At Lazy Susan, our mission is to inspire people to spend more time in the garden.

Rowans Hospice

Rowans Hospice services support more than 10,000 people each year across Portsmouth and South East Hampshire free of charge.

Stansted Park Foundation

... to preserve and conserve the house, its collections and parkland for the benefit of the public.

ADAMEDIA

Adamedia media production partner for brands and businesses across Cumbria, the Lake District and the North West.

The Travelling Barn Company

Traditional Timber Framed Buildings - be they temporary or permanent. In addition to hiring our structures to festivals, weddings and events, we regularly manufacture Timber Frame Structures for clients.

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