Elves deliver Food Week Programmes

click image to enlarge

How do you get 20,000 Food Week Programmes, and 30,000 Food Week Flyers into the hands of foodies in the village and across the region from Christchurch to Lyndhurst and everywhere in between?

Well, the flyers are easy, we simply deliver them to a few warehouses and they get inserted in a variety of newspapers and magazines alongside Food Week advertisements and editorial articles.

Delivering to every house in the village, and providing all the restaurants, pubs, cafes and shops with programmes is a somewhat more challenging task.

Ultimately this is achieved by an amazing group of Food Week Volunteers, and additional help from Sue Whitlock and the Community Centre What's On Delivery Team.

Around 60 people are involved in total and the way people pull together is amazing.

The Food Week Volunteers collected their (heavy) boxes from our temporary warehouse (Tim's garage) in Barton and then set about getting the free Food Week Programmes to the villages commercial premises.

On Wednesday I arrived at the Community Centre at the agreed time of 11am. I was there to help prepare the bundles for people in the Whats On Delivery Team to collect to deliver to their allocated roads.

As I walked through the door the action was already underway, boxes of programmes were quickly being devoured and made into piles, which were then efficiently labelled. Within 15 minutes the entire task of preparing bundles to deliver to 3000 village houses was done. - and them another swarm of people arrived to start their deliveries! 

By the end of this week there will be very few local people who do not know what is happening in Food Week and all thanks to a grand group of volunteer elves.

A big thank you goes to everyone who has lent a hand - it is small efforts by many that makes events like these possible.

I understand that the elves have now returned to Santa's Workshop!

Culinary Masterclass at Food Week

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Food Week are delighted to bring together the most highly renowned chefs from across the New Forest.

Five Chefs will be on stage from the Michelin star Montagu Arms, the classic Chewton Glen, the impressive Hartnett Holder & Co Restaurant at Lime Wood Hotel, the highly acclaimed kitchen garden restaurant at The Pig, and the award winning restaurant & grill at The Jetty.

Alex Aitken, a former Michelin star holder himself, will be our compere for this fun filled afternoon of gourmet dishes and culinary tricks from the masters!

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CULINARY MASTERCLASS

Tickets: £9 - Child: £4 (Must be accompanied by an adult) | Click here to buy - *Tickets also available from Community Centre Box Office.

Friends of Food Week receive 10% Discount on all tickets purchased for this event - click here to find out more.

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Food Week's New Media Partner

Hampshire Life magazine has become Food Week's Media Partner, the publication celebrates that Hampshire has everything – unspoilt beaches, rolling countryside, ancient forests and picture postcard villages. Life in the county is rich and diverse, from farming and fisheries to sailing and shopping. Hampshire Life magazine reflects living in this vibrant part of England and offers readers a mix of features to inspire, educate and entertain.

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Since its conception in 1999, Hampshire Life has undergone a complete transformation both in its editorial content and design to meet the changing face of the county and our readership. Working alongside influential groups such as Hampshire Fare, the magazine now actively promotes local producers of food, drink and crafts across the county and the success of the Hampshire Life Food Awards has meant they are now about to be held for a fifth year.

Keeping content local is at the forefront of what Hampshire Life strives to achieve each month. Focussing on local people, local businesses and local life is what makes Hampshire Life a must-read magazine for those living throughout the county.

To pick up a copy is easy, simply ask at our village newsagents.

Hampshire Life Magazine

www.hampshire-life.co.uk

Two Milford Restaurants in Hampshire Top 10

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In a few short years, Trip Advisor has become the oracle for dining reviews. The number of diners that now regularly contribute is astonishing.

Top chef's have always had a high regard for achieving a listing in publications such as the Michelin, Harden's and The AA Guides, but today their Trip Advisor rating can be almost as important to them. It certainly is to many of their customers.

Indeed, who can resist a look at Trip Advisor before visiting any new restaurant?

It is therefore fair to say that Trip Advisor is pretty useful and a good reflection of peoples experiences.

click image to enlarge

When we heard that Trip Advisor has published 'Hampshire's Top 10 Restaurants', we were delighted to see that both Verveine and La Perle in Milford on Sea are getting the high recognition they deserve!

Verveine sits at No. 4, and La Perle at No.7 in Hampshire's Top 10 Restaurants - and this is out of a total of 3,250 restaurants across the county!

Well done guys, a very impressive acheivement!

See all of Verveine's Food Week Events - click here

See all of La Perle's Food Week Events - click here

Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant
01590 642176

98 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QE

david@verveine.co.uk 

www.verveine.co.uk

La Perle 

01590 643557

60 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QD

info@laperle.co.uk  

www.laperlerestaurant.co.uk

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here

Full Food Week Programme Launched

The Milford on Sea Food Week Programme containing details of all of the events taking place is now online at: www.milfordfoodweek.org.

Add caption

This year will be biggest and best Food Week yet. We have 168 events happening - many are free, there is plenty for the kids, and all will be fun!

The Celebrity Shows are selling fast, so please be quick to book (We don't want you disappointed.) Check out the online programme to see what you want to come to!

The printed Free Food Week Programmes will arrive Mid-February, with 20,000 free copies available across Milford on Sea village. (3000 copies are generously being delivered to every home in the village by the team that distribute the Community Centre What's On Magazine.) 

In addition to this, we are printing 25,000 Food Week Flyers which will delivered door to door in nearby surrounding areas from Christchurch, and across the New Forest to Lyndhurst.

I get the feeling everyone will hear that something special is happening in Milford on Sea!

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Join the Food Week Volunteer Team

Would you like to help out at Food Week? We do not need much time, and it should be fun.

We are looking for volunteers to take any shift they would like in the Food Week Information Centre.

This year the Food Week Information Centre is in the comfort of the Community Centre, rather than the trailer we have had on the village green in previous years.

The job is pretty easy, just meet visitors and direct them to events, hand out programmes, answer questions etc. 

You would be paired up with other people, so a good opportunity to meet new people from within the village, or you can do shifts with your own friends (with a perfect excuse for a good old catch up!) if you prefer. Each day has two shifts: 10am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm.

The only qualification required is a helpful and friendly personality, and a sense of humour would be an advantage!

To join the Food Week Team, or ask any questions at all, please email: Amanda Tanner - amandatanner@sky.com

Milford on Sea Food Week
Bank Holiday Monday 28th March until Sunday 3rd April 2016
www.milfordfoodweek.org

Creating Food Week: The Statistics

Since being launched in 2010, Milford on Sea Food Week has grown in so many ways.

The initial concept was born out of wanting to boost local village trade by promoting Milford on Sea as a 'Foodie Heaven', - and with 20 great places to eat, what better way for Milford on Sea to celebrate than to have an entire week dedicated to the joys of food!

Very soon this concept grew to involve the local community en-mass in organising and participating in events, promoting the quality local producers that surround us, and adding celebrity shows to enhance the enjoyment and to raise the profile of Food Week.

This year the ever popular Milford on Sea Food Week returns from Bank Holiday Monday 28th March until Sunday 3rd April 2016, and this time it is bigger than ever, with over 10,000 people attending the 150 events (many of which are free). Actually, it is 168 events to be precise!

Food Week Purpose: 
The core purpose of Food Week is to boost and promote village trade, and to inform, educate and entertain the local community and visitors.

Creating the Food Week Events
It is important to us that as many corners of the entire community are directly involved as possible.

To create so many events, there are as you might expect, a lot of people across the village that get involved, whether as a business, local organisation, club or as an individual. A quick count tells us that to create all the Food Week events means that 129 people are organising or participating in one way or another.

We also have 80 local producers who attend the Food Market as stallholders.

Behind the scenes there is a Core Organising Team of 7 volunteers who make sure everything is in place, prepare the events, create the marketing, raise the income, manage the finances, and keep an eye on things throughout the week.

Finally, there are also 43 important and enthusiastic volunteers who work on the event preparation, and provide day to day services and specialist support. Plus, an awesome team of 44 people who do a great job selling Food Week raffle tickets.

So, that's 303 people to make Food Week happen!

Funding Food Week Events
Food Week is run on a shoestring, and we are fortunate that many skills that organisers of other events have to pay for, we are able to do for free thanks to the expertise and time investment of our volunteers.

However, one main element that has to be outsourced is the printing of the publicity collateral, and it is surprising how substantially the cost of publicity material mounts up. Things like local advertising, village banners, window posters, flags, signage, and 20,000 Free Food Week Programmes for the village and 25,000 Flyers for the surrounding areas do not come cheap!

The celebrity events are always a risk, as good ticket sales are essential to ensure that we do not make a loss on any show.

Food Week could not happen without donations, and we are fortunate to get excellent support from Brand New Forest at NFDC, local councillors, our local MP, 6 local main sponsors, 67 local businesses as gold or silver sponsors, and 41 local residents as Friends of Food Week. Food Week 2016 has so far raised £15,425 from these generous supporters.

Food Week is not a charitable or fund raising event, however we do encourage local charities to take part in order to raise funds for their own good causes.

Should Food Week make any profits, donations are made to local good causes and also spent on projects that may benefit the village overall. Since 2010 Food Week has made contributions of £20,738.

Spreading the Food Week Message

Prior to the fun of Milford on Sea Food Week, there is the little matter of making sure that as many people as possible know that the events are taking place.

As previously mentioned, we do as much as we can without costs and through volunteers, such as; the website, all design and artwork, PR, marketing, social media, e-shots, blogs etc.

Spreading the Food Week message is a multi-level marketing activity, and we regularly use the following:

• The MoS News Website. Which has 20,000+ page views a month. (www.milfordonseanews.org) 

• The MoS News Bulletin. This is sent directly to 2,626 email addresses in the village. (NB: Milford on Sea has around 5000 residents in total.)  -  Perhaps surprisingly, we have a further 201 people who we know live in Milford on Sea, but have chosen to 'Unsubscribe' from receiving the News Bulletin. (This might be something to do with some of the nonsense we publish!)

• The Food Week News Bulletin: This is sent directly to another of our databases, which contains 1,543 email addresses of 'Foodies from outside of the village'. 

• Facebook: Milford On Sea Page: We have 1,109 Page Likes.

• Facebook: Milford On Sea Food Week Page: Only recently started, and we have 172 Page Likes to date. (Currently growing by around 80 per week.)

• Facebook: Post Boosts: Used tactically to spread the word about Food Week and specific events.

• Twitter: 86 Followers. No idea what Twitter is all about really, we just randomly put stuff on it and hope that someone sees it!

• Streetlife: This is a local social network, so we are also giving this a go.

• Press Advertising & Editorial in Advertiser & Times, New Forest Post, Village Voice, Lymington Directory, Barton Bugle, Highcliffe Eye, Christchurch Eye, Hampshire Life and a few selected other local publications and magazines.

• Press Releases: Articles are sent to local press and food/lifestyle magazine publications.

• Free Food Week Programmes: 20,000 free copies distributed within Milford on Sea village. (3000 of which are generously delivered to every home in the village by the team that distribute the Community Centre What's On Magazine.) 

• Food Week Flyers: 25,000 delivered door to door in nearby surrounding areas from Christchurch, and across the New Forest to Lyndhurst.

Then of course, we have the messages that everyone sees, like the village banners, window posters, flags and signage.

Summary
Milford on Sea Food Week is very proud that it is a not for profit community event entirely coordinated by a small dedicated group of volunteers who provide their expertise and time for free.

The Food Week organisers are more than satisfied that their sole reward is in seeing the enjoyment gained by people enjoying the events. 

Food Week is truly a ‘By the community, for the community’ event, so please come and join in or simply enjoy!

Milford on Sea Food Week
Bank Holiday Monday 28th March until Sunday 3rd April 2016
www.milfordfoodweek.org

Rosemary Shrager & The Real Marigold Hotel

Having recently announced that Rosemary Shrager, one of Britain's best loved TV Celebrity Chefs is coming to Milford on Sea Food Week, we can now reveal that Rosemary's latest TV appearance will start on Tuesday in the much publicised; The Real Marigold Hotel.

L to R: Sylvester McCoy, Bobby George, Wayne Sleep,

Rosemary Shrager, Miriam Margolyes, Jan Leeming,
Roy Walker and Patti Boulaye
click image to enlarge

This is a delightful 3 part series which features celebrity pensioners visiting India, and starts at 9pm on Tuesday 26th January 2016 on BBC2. This will be followed in the Spring 2016 by her newest show; The Chopping Block on ITV1.

The Real Marigold Hotel, takes an all-star cast on the journey of a lifetime.

The series, inspired by but otherwise unrelated to the blockbuster film, documents the authentic experience of eight famous senior citizens as they head to India on an experimental adventure. 

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The series follows actor Miriam Margolyes OBE, dancer Wayne Sleep OBE, actor Sylvester McCoy, comedian Roy Walker, chef Rosemary Shrager, darts champion Bobby George, singer Patti Boulaye OBE and former news reader Jan Leeming for three weeks to see if they would consider spending their golden years retiring to the other side of the world.

Four thousand miles from home, the group will land in colourful Jaipur, capital of the state of Rajasthan in Northern India, to test whether they can set up a better, more rewarding retirement here than in the UK.

In the scorching heat, the group will take over a haveli - an Indian private mansion - and from the moment they arrive they will have to work out how to set up home together: from who’ll cook and clean and whether they will hire staff, to how they will get around and spend their time.

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Their unforgettable Indian adventure will see the group fully embrace Indian culture, from the surprises of the capital’s largest slum to meeting Jaipur’s Royal family at the opulent Rambagh Palace. As they settle into local life, members of the group will take to yoga and learn some Hindi, experience shopping in the hectic streets, hunt for potential properties and take advantage of the medical care. We’ll see them visit the Ganesh Chaturti festival, ride elephants, make a trip to one of the holiest Hindu cities in India, Varanasi, and also test out long-distance travel by embarking on a 150-mile trip to the jewel in India’s crown, the Taj Mahal.

From the environment to the food, the transport to the customs, moving away from the UK is guaranteed to be a culture shock for our cast - as they leave routines and loved ones behind to adapt to living together and to a completely new way of life.

Rosemary was asked; "How did you find the food out there and as a cook, what did you find impressive?"

She replied: "We were fortunate to be staying in a proper Indian home where the food was fantastic. We had feasts every day with ingredients that cost very little and it gave us a taste of the real India.

What I found fascinating was the variety of choice, the intensity of flavours, and the attention to detail. We had a cooking class which was a revelation that opened me up to a whole load of new ingredients and processes. I have come away from India knowing that I want to learn more."

She didn't mention she was looking forward to coming to Milford on Sea Food Week, but that would only be because Rosemary had not been booked when filming took place!

To read more about The Real Marigold Hotel, please click here.

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AN AFTERNOON with ROSEMARY SHRAGER

Tickets: £12.50 | Click here to buy | *Tickets also available from Community Centre Box Office.
Friends of Food Week receive 10% Discount on all tickets purchased for this event - click here to find out more.

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Rosemary Shrager; From India to Food Week

Rosemary Shrager is without doubt one of Britain's best loved TV Celebrity Chefs and Cookery Teachers, and she is coming to Milford on Sea Food Week!

Rosemary's latest TV appearance is in The Real Marigold Hotel, a delightful 3 part series featuring celebrity pensioners visiting India, and which starts at 9pm on Tuesday 26th January 2016 on BBC2. This will be followed in the Spring 2016 by her newest show; The Chopping Block on ITV1.

She is also well known for appearing on many TV cookery programmes including; Ladette to Lady, Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks, This Morning and The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

Pic includes: Sylvester McCoy, 
Bobby George, Wayne Sleep,
Rosemary Shrager, Miriam Margolyes, 
Jan Leeming, Roy Walker
and Patti Boulaye
click image to enlarge

Rosemary also endeared herself to the nation when she took part in the ‘I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of here’ Jungle TV Show, where she proved that she can cook just about anything anywhere!

Rosemary’s professional career includes a period working for Pierre Koffmann (at London’s internationally famous Tante Claire restaurant) and with Jean-Christophe Novelli. She later went on to become the Head Chef at Amhuinnsuidhe Castle on Scotland’s Isle of Harris. Today she has her own highly renowned cookery school in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Come and spend an afternoon with Rosemary as she demonstrates some special recipes and shares some stories from her jungle and TV show exploits. Rosemary loves talking about food as much as she loves cooking, and she is a natural extrovert and communicator, it will be a fun afternoon – so don’t miss this one!

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AN AFTERNOON with ROSEMARY SHRAGER

Tickets: £12.50 | Click here to buy - *Tickets also available from Community Centre Box Office.
Friends of Food Week receive 10% Discount on all tickets purchased for this event - click here to find out more.

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

See All of the Food Week Events

If you want to get ahead of the game, the full programme of all the Food Week events taking place is now on the Food Week website at:
www.milfordfoodweek.org.

The free printed Food Week programme will be freely available around the village towards to end of February.

This year have 168 events taking place during Food week! (Yep 168!) - Many are free, there is a lot happening for the kids, and of course, some well known chefs and entertaining celebrities are coming along.

If you don't want to miss out on some of the excellent shows taking place, why not book now? You can do this by clicking here, or pop into the Community Centre Box Office today. (Unless you are reading this on Sunday of course!)

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Baking with Howard at Food Week

click image to enlarge

Any one who is an avid watcher of The Great British Bake Off, will instantly recognise the exuberant and entertaining Howard Middleton.

Howard is looking forward to coming to Milford on Sea Food Week where he will talking about his baking journey so far, including his time on the Great British Bake Off, whilst he demonstrates how to bake some of his delicious recipes from his new book 'Delicious Gluten-Free Baking'.

It may be a baking event, but with Howard's exuberant personality don't expect anything too serious!

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BAKING with HOWARD MIDDLETON

Tickets: £12.50 | Click here to buy - *Tickets also available from Community Centre Box Office.
Friends of Food Week receive 10% Discount on all tickets purchased for this event - click here to find out more.

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Sponsors & Friends flock to Food Week

Since running the article about Southern Coop, previously our largest sponsor, having to reduce their support of Milford on Sea Food Week (read here), local businesses and individuals have really stepped up to the plate to help out, and everything is looking good. 

Milford on Sea Food Week is a community event run entirely by a small dedicated group of volunteers who provide their time and expertise for free. The Food Week organisers are more than satisfied that their only reward is in seeing people enjoying themselves.

As a 'not for profit' community event, the income generated is used to cover promotional costs, and this can be substantial when you consider printing 25,000 free programmes, banners, signs, flags, celebrity fees, insurance, first aid, road closure fees, the list goes on...!

Replacing £3000 of sponsorship is a mammoth task, - but like eating an elephant, it can be done, - if you do it in bite size chunks!

Eating an elephant does not daunt us, because we are fortunate to have a generous group of sponsors, friends & supporters - and many more businesses and individuals have joined us over the last few weeks.

To see our Business Sponsors please click here - to see our Friends of Food Week please click here.

A special mention goes to our Main Sponsors for 2106: Brand New Forest, Hall & Woodhouse (The Beach House), Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, Hollands of Milford, Shorefield Country Park, Co-op Supermarket, Everton Hyundai Garage, The Montagu Arms & Careys Manor and The Cedar Tree at South Lawn Hotel.

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You can help if you would like by: 

• Becoming a Friend of Food Week from £25 (click here)
• or a Business Sponsor: Silver £75 or Gold £150 (click here)

*Friends of Food Week receive 10% Discount on all tickets purchased for Celebrity Events - click here to find out more.

To be in the 25,000+ Food Week Programmes, please let us know by Friday 8th January, after that your support can only show on the Food Week website.

Thanks to everyone who has already given their generous support, Food Week could not happen without you.

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

MasterChef Champion, Ping coming to Food Week

click image to enlarge

Food Week are delighted to announce the first of several Celebrity Shows with Ping Coombes, MasterChef Champion 2014, joining us on: Saturday 2nd April 2016.

Ping will be demonstrating some of her wonderful fusion recipes and chatting about her food journey so far.

Ping was born in Ipoh, a small town in Malaysia and her love of food stems from her mum, who is an incredible cook. Anyone who watched Ping on the iconic BBC TV cooking show will know she has a delightful personality and a fabulous ability to create art on a plate.

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COOKING with PING - MasterChef Champion

Tickets: £15 | Click here to buy - *Tickets also available from Community Centre Box Office.

Friends of Food Week receive 10% Discount on all tickets purchased for this event - click here to find out more.

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Food Week finds Fabulous Friends

After last week's article about losing our main sponsor for the Food Week Cookery Theatre, - the village has responded brilliantly! (Read original article here.)

Replacing a sponsorship of £3000 is a tall ask, but amounts from £25 to £150 have been coming in from people becoming Friends of Food Week & Business Sponsors.

Whilst a long way till to go, we can certainly see that people are pulling for us, and willingly donating some money for us to make Food Week 2016 the best yet.

Food Week will definitely take place in all of its glory one way or another, we will not let it fail, and in the immortal words of Del Boy; "He who dares wins, he who hesitates... doesn't!"

You can help if you would like by: 

• Becoming a Friend of Food Week from £25 (click here)
• or a Business Sponsor: Silver £75 or Gold £150 (click here)

*Friends of Food Week receive 10% Discount on all tickets purchased for Celebrity Events - click here to find out more.

To be in the 25,000+ Food Week Programmes, please let us know by 31st December, after that your support can only show on the Food Week website.

Thanks to everyone who has already given their generous support, Food Week could not happen without you and we are very appreciative. - If you supported us last time, and are happy to do so again, please let me know as soon as possible. (david@milfordonsea.org)

As you may notice from our sponsors, we do not approach any large organisations unless they have a direct connection with Milford on Sea. Our event is by the village community, for the village community.

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Fancy doing a Food Week Demo?

Love baking bread?, make good pie?, or anything else...

Then please come and do a local cook demo in the Cookery Theatre at Food Week.

We would like as many local people taking part as possible. Food Week is for every corner of the community, young or old - there is something for everyone.

A great week is being put together to feed, educate and entertain - come and join us!

Drop me a line before next Monday (believe it or not, the Food Week Programme has to go to print very soon) to find out more: david@milfordonsea.org


MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Food Week Show Tickets as Xmas Pressies

How about buying Food Week show tickets as Christmas presents? - click here

The first Food Week shows are now on sale online: the delightful talent of Ping Coombes MasterChef Champion 2014 and the irrepressible Howard Middleton from Great British Bake Off - more shows still to follow in coming weeks!
www.ticketsource.co.uk/milfordonseafoodweek

(Note: Tickets available online right now, or from the community Centre Box Office.)

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK

Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!

www.milfordfoodweek.org

Want to know more about Food Week? - please click here.

Food Week is Back Next April

Milford on Sea Food Week is back from Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016 

Enjoy Food Week

During Food Week our village will be alive with Celebrity Shows, Themed Dining Evenings, Cooking Demonstrations, Educational Talks, Wine Tastings and Dining Offers. We also have lots of Kids Events to keep them entertained during the Easter Holidays, and the large & very popular Sunday Food Market gives you a chance to savour the best of local produce and street food.

Everyone of every age is included, and there are over 100 village events & shows, many of which are free, and all organised by local organisations, businesses, clubs and individuals.

Our New Forest seaside village is fortunate to be blessed with great places to eat and surrounded by quality local producers, so what better way for Milford on Sea to celebrate this than to have an entire week dedicated to the joys of food!

We hope that you can come along to enjoy the fun at as many events as possible.

Get Involved

Food Week can only operate from the generosity of time or donations from local people. Everyone is welcome to get involved:

Do a Demonstration or Talk: Any amateur local resident can demonstrate their family recipes or favourite cooking styles, or do a talk on your favourite food or wine subject. We supply the venue, you supply the skills!

Run an Event: Any local Charity, Organisation or Club can organise a food related event and this will be publicised as part of Food Week. You of course keep any funds that you raise.

Join the Team: We are totally dependant on volunteers to make things happen. We need people at event and selling raffle tickets, so if you have any time to spare for either and would like to meet some new people, please let us know.

Become a Sponsor: Local businesses can be a Gold Sponsor for £150, or Silver Sponsor for £75 - and get a high profile advert on our website and in the 30,000 free programmes circulated.

To find out more about anything above please contact David on:
david@milfordonsea.org 

Become a Friend:  Becoming a Friend of Food Week is simple, shows you care, and helps to fund events to entertain and educate. All Food Week Friends a listed on the website and in the free programmes.

You can be a Friend of Food Week as an individual or family from just £25. please click here

About Food Week

Milford on Sea Food Week is coordinated by a small dedicated group of volunteers who provide their expertise and time for free. We are also fortunate to have a generous group of sponsors, friends & event organisers. 

As a 'not for profit' event, any income generated is only used to cover promotional costs and no fees or expenses are taken by any of the Food Week organisers. We are delighted to support local good causes from any profits that are made.

Every corner of the village community participate with food related events and demonstrations, including local amateur cooks, professional chefs, all village restaurants, pubs & cafés, plus many local village organisations, clubs and charities. 

Food Week is always held in Easter school holidays, and we ensure that there is lots for the family and the kids enjoy.

To promote Food Week 30,000 Free Programmes are circulated, there is a website, together with posters and banners throughout the village which leaves people in no doubt that something special is happening!

Whilst not a fund raising event, Food Week has been fortunate to generate profits and to involve local charities with events, from which around £20,000 has been raised for local village adult, youth and children charities/organisations in the past 4 events. 

Food Week is very proud that it is exclusively run by volunteers, whose sole reward is in the enjoyment gained by others.

Food Week is truly ‘By the community, for the community’ and your support is critical to us, we thank you for getting involved whether by participating or simply enjoying the many events throughout the village

MILFORD ON SEA FOOD WEEK
Bank Holiday Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April 2016

If you love food, you will love Food Week!
www.milfordfoodweek.org

Dine In Friday Explained

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Dine In Friday during Love Milford Week seems to need a bit of explaining. 

It's quite straightforward really, you simply invite friends, family or neighbours to come and Dine In on Friday. 

That is of course if you are not going out. Now, its fine to go out if you are going out to Dine In. This is because, the people who you are Dining In with will be Dining In, so in turn you are also Dining In with your Dine In hosts. 

For clarity and to put it another way, if you have an invite to go out, you are not going to dine out, you are going out to Dine In. Once you are out, your are Dining In rather than dining out.

However, if you are not going out, but Dining In, then anyone you invite will be going out to Dine In.

It may also be a problem to Dine In without going out, as the rules say all your meal ingredients must be bought in the village, so you have to go out before you can Dine In.

Finally, beware of going out to Dine In if you have nowhere to go. In this instance you won't be Dining Out or Dining In, you will just be out.

No idea why some people have thought the Dine In concept was a bit complicated!

Love Milford Week

www.lovemilfordweek.org/dine-in-friday

James Durrant Wins Great British Menu

Little did we know at Milford on Sea Food Week, that one of the impressive chefs doing a free demonstration for us was destined to win the Main Course in the BBC TV Great British Menu!

James beat many impressive chefs from across the country to be selected to serve his main course venison dish to the D-Day Veterans at a spectacular banquet in St. Paul's Cathedral.

Having invited Tom Kerridge before he was a household name, and now James Durrant, we could be forgiven for thinking that Milford on Sea Food Week knows a thing or two about great chefs!

Anyone who was fortunate enough to come along to James Durrant's cookery demonstration during Milford on Sea Food Week will know what a fabulous chef he is. James appeared in the Milford on Sea Food Week Cookery Theatre, as the headline demonstration organised by our friends at Hampshire Fare.

James Durrant
Pic by: Adam Lynk Photography
www.adamlynk.com

His culinary career started in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsey and he went on to become head chef at the Michelin star Maze in Mayfair with Jason Atherton.

Today James runs Durrant Restaurants, providing his expertise as a private chef and operating his own pub and restaurant at The Plough Inn in Longparish near Winchester. 

In March 2012 James took over The Plough Inn, Longparish with his wife Louise. Only six months after opening, The Plough Inn was awarded the UK Pub of the Year Award by the Good Food Guide. It now holds two AA rosettes and has been included in the 2014 Michelin Guide and awarded a BIB Gourmand rating for the second year running.

James’ menu on the Great British Menu Show celebrates the bravery shown during the war and how we have progressed as a nation with what is available to us now. While researching his menu for the competition, he discovered that his wife’s grandfather served in the army during the war and, aged just 17, was one of the first to land on the beaches on D Day.

Well done James, hopefully we will see you again at Food week 2016!

Great British Menu
See on BBC iPlayer: click here

The Plough Inn

Longparish

www.theploughinn.info

Hampshire Fare

www.hampshirefare.co.uk

Thanks to our Sponsors

As things return to normal after the massively successful Milford on Sea Food Week, we want to say a big thank you to all of our sponsors. 

Food Week is of course a not for profit community event, and without the great support we receive, it would be impossible to have staged the vast variety of events for everyone to enjoy.

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Our biggest sponsor was Southern Co-op, who very generously provided the Cookery Theatre. Anyone of the thousands of people who attended any of the many events in the Cookery Theatre over Food Week, will know the set up could not have been more professional, with a stage, oven & hob, two large screen TV's and sound system. Add to this celebrity chefs and local talent and you have a great experience! For a small village we were definitely 'punching above our weight' and thanks to Southern Co-op were able to deliver shows that would be the envy of any commercial food festival.

The team at Southern Co-op have enthusiastically supported us for a number of years now, and it is a delight to have a national company so willing to support the community it serves.

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Our other major sponsors were The Beach House (Hall & Woodhouse), Shorefield Country Park (Who also provided our Information Centre), Everton Hyundai, and Brand New Forest.

We were also grateful of the support given by Hampshire Fare, bringing top producers and chefs from across Hampshire.

Just as importantly, were two other groups who showed their support by being a Gold or Silver Sponsor, or people who became 'Friends of Food Week'. We are very grateful that so many local shops, restaurants, and small business all generously took up the offer to support us as sponsors, and several individuals showed great support by donating as a 'Friend'.

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You can see our all our Sponsors and Friends of Food Week if you click here.

Our final thank you goes to everyone who came along to the events, without you and everyone mentioned above, Food Week simply could not happen.

See you in April 2016!

Milford on Sea Food Week

www.milfordonseafoodweek.org

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