Food - Glynde Fine Food Festival

The first Glynde Fine Food Festival, which takes place this weekend, came about through a near calamitous meeting between Eleanor Robins of Say Cheese and a customer in her shop. “One day, one of our regular customers asked whether or not there were any food festivals in the area. Not thinking much about my answer I said that we usually went to West Sussex for our shows rather than locally. ‘Pity’, he said, ‘I've got a rather good venue - Glynde Place’ at which point I slammed his credit card into the machine and broke it. Despite this inauspicious start we put together an event embracing a wide variety of stands and involving one of my favourite causes - slow food. Henry at the Butlers Wine Cellar is the Brighton Slow Food organiser, and between us we have persuaded lots of people to take part.” On Say Cheese’s own stall there will be a fine range of slowly matured cheeses, primarily its West Country cheddars such as Montgomery’s, Keens and Westcombe. The French Revolution will also set up a stall with their non-wheat galettes and traditional crepes using organic and free-range products from local producers. If you don’t know your mezze from your mechouia check out the street café run by Moorish.

While the concept of fast food may be anathema to many, sometimes needs must. Philippa Vine and Ian Dowding from Garden to Kitchen - a local business offering gourmet cookery courses - will demonstrate that great food can be produced quickly before a live audience at Glynde.

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