The Creameries, Erst, Isca, WTLGI and Things Palace are all involved
Autumn is upon us. September is drawing to a close and we’ve already got our SAD light plugged in at Man Con towers.
But do the food and drink events end with summer? Hell no. MFDF is in full swing, with the awards ceremony and gala dinner coming up next week, supper clubs abound, our inbox is as stuffed with invites and bribes as ever, and there’s a massive indie food and booze fair coming to Platt Fields on 4 October.
An outdoor festival in the North of England in October? Don’t worry, weather-proofing has been considered
Hosted by Chorlton cheese-botherer, Mary-Ellen McTague of The Creameries, the Autumn Food & Drink Fair sees the chef consult her enviable Rolodex of boozy, foodie pals to put together an exciting event packed with restaurants, wine importers, growers and brewers.
A food and drink fair packed with your favourite indie food champs
Platt Fields Park, long known as the green lungs of the South Manchester student stretch (and the place to go for a massive bonfire night event) has become something of a grow your own zone over the past five years with its Platt Fields Market Garden blossoming (read our interview with MUD CIC for more about that.)
The market garden will be the lush and leafy setting where visitors to The Autumn Food & Drink Fair can get stuck into great food from the rabbit and rennet wrangling team at The Creameries, the seasonal tarts at Isca, food critic fave Erst and WTLGI-alumni Lorcan Kan’s Malaysian inspired Things Palace - whose chill parfait made our list of the best things to eat in September.
What about the wine?
London-based natural wine fanatics Wines Under the Bonnet will provide the vinous bevs. With Muscadet heritage on the team, WUTB began with a focus on wines of The Loire - famous for the wines like smoky Sauvignon Blancs of Pouilly Fumé, elegant but supple Muscadet and complex, cherry red Cab Francs from Chinon - but soon developed to champion wines from all over France as well as Germany, Italy, England and Chile. They work closely with growers using natural and biodynamic methods to bring attention to these wines to the whole of the UK.
James Galton of Where the Light Gets In will be getting his Brian Flanagan on and no doubt bringing some foraged and pickled flourishes to the cocktail menu. There will also be workshops, Q&As and tastings throughout the day. Need a bit of fat bass to aid digestion? DJ sets will come from Living Room Dance Club and That Amazing Thing!
An outdoor festival in the North of England in October? Don’t worry, weather-proofing has been considered with rain cover over the main area and in the Froghouse where the workshops will be running.
With Manchester Urban Diggers (MUD CIC) and Eat Well MCR both doing important work in the community - providing access to the kind of quality food many of us take for granted to those who need it most - funds raised from the event will go towards supporting both of their efforts.
The Autumn Food & Drink Fair takes place on Monday 4 October 11am-7pm. Tickets are £40 and the price includes 10 tokens to exchange for food, drink and workshops at the fair. Additional tokens will be available to purchase on site. There is a £5 discount for anyone who is unwaged - use the coupon UNWAGED at the checkout.
The Autumn Food & Drink Fair Platt Fields Market Garden, Platt Fields Park, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6LT
