Day out at the Stone Food and Drink Festival 2019 in Stone, Staffordshire*

Stone Food and Drink Festival ran from Friday, 4 to Sunday, 6 October 2019, in the beautiful, small town of Stone in Staffordshire. Begun 15 years ago to boost local business and give the townspeople a fun community event, this festival has grown into a celebration of ingredients, recipes and producers from across the region and was our second foodie event during British Food Fortnight (21 September to 6 October 2019).

The weather wasn’t quite as kind as during our visit to Arley Hall a couple of weeks ago. In the week before the festival, the original park and ride location became waterlogged; Little Stoke Cricket Club offered their venue; all of the promotional information and road signage was changed and, on the day of our visit, the parking plans seemed to be running extremely smoothly.

The park and ride service had been reduced this year to just £2.00 per person for a full day’s parking and a return bus journey to and from Stone town centre – from where all of the venues and events were fairly easily accessible. Buses ran every twenty minutes or so during the festival and our driver was a friendly mine of information. On our return to the car park at the end of the day, the ground was very wet, but there were loads of volunteers on hand to ensure that everyone could leave safely. Although we arrived in Stone early, we noticed that the town car parks were already full, so we’d certainly recommend the park and ride option as cheap and stress-free.

We started our visit with a wander through the Farmers’ Market in the town centre. This takes place on the first Saturday of each month, and was ideally timed to coincide with the Food & Drink Festival this month. There were a huge range of stalls down the length of the High Street, selling a range of snacks, food to take home, drinks, kitchen-related items and other crafts. We initially made the mistake of thinking that we’d have a look at some of the produce, go to the Westbridge Park site and make some purchases from the market on our way back to catch the return bus. However, looking around at the number of visitors and how popular some of the stalls were, we quickly decided to retrace our steps and buy some of the things we really wanted straight away!

The town centre had a lovely bustling atmosphere, with all of the shops also open as usual, people sitting outside the cafés and friends obviously meeting up at the event. We also felt that the people of Stone had some of the cutest dogs we’d ever seen! This may have been particularly noticeable on the High Street, as dogs are not allowed on the Westbridge Park site – something to consider if you’re planning a future visit.

Having picked up a takeaway cup of tea each from a local café, my friend and I made our way to the main festival site. The event had only been open for a short while, so the queues were short, but the staff on hand were friendly and well-organised. Once inside, we picked up a couple of goodie bags. Having heard that previous years’ bags had contained treats including recipe books, we were a little disappointed to just find promotional leaflets in ours, but there was an excellent guide to the full festival included, which helped us to plan our day. The guide book showed that, if we lived a little closer to Stone, we could have experienced ‘pub orienteering’; a tour of the local Joule’s brewery and plenty of other activities in the weeks around the main festival. It also gave a full rundown of the bands playing over the weekend; Masterclasses being held in one of the marquees on-site; the children’s cookery events – including cookie making, which I wouldn’t have minded trying myself! – and details of the local chefs, wine and beer producers and other foodies appearing in the ‘Demo’ marquee.

Although Westbridge Park was relatively small, it was full of bars, food stalls and marquees – but our first stop had to be to get something to eat. Being fans of trying new food, we were drawn to the ‘Pancake balls’ stall. Little spheres of pancake were being prepared, which were stuffed with savoury or sweet fillings of your choice. Having sampled the delicious bacon and cheese variety, we made a note to come back to the stall for the apple & cinnamon version for dessert later in the day. These sealed pancakes made the perfect snack, as they’re easy to carry and eat. One was perfect for a small snack, but four of five would have been a filling meal. As with all the best ideas, we left wondering why we’d never seen such a brilliantly simple – and tasty – thing before.

We headed into the marquees for a look around and were not disappointed. A large variety of hot food dishes, snacks and cold foods – including some great vegetarian options – and drinks were available. The range of produce rivalled the bigger event at Arley Hall and the stalls were thoughtfully arranged, with similar products spread out across the marquees so not obviously competing for customers. Having settled on ‘oggies’ for lunch (a bit like a pasty), we headed outside to the relaxed seating area to eat. We were a little early to catch any of the live bands, but music was played for most of the day in the area where the bars were set up and added to the atmosphere of the site.

The lack of sunshine didn’t seem to be dampening spirits and the festival site really filled up after lunch. The Demo and Masterclass marquees were constantly busy, and there were lots of children and their families enjoying the ‘Panic Family Circus’ tent, face-painting and children’s cookery classes into the afternoon. Some of the food stalls were selling out and packing up by early afternoon, as the foodies wandered out with bulging shopping bags, and trade picked up from groups of friends meeting at the hot food vans and bars. Heading back into the town to catch the end of the Farmers’ Market, we were glad we’d visited Westbridge Park early in the day as we noticed the entry queues now trailing along the road outside the park – it was obviously going to be a busy evening on the site. We strolled back through the town and stopped in at another café for tea and cake. We agreed that Stone was a great venue for the event – perfectly sized and with a lovely, friendly feel – and that we were surprised to end a day that had been so full feeling so relaxed.

What is Stone Food and Drink Festival?

From the first festival in the High Street and the Crown Hotel ball room, based on idea discussed in 2004, Stone Food and Drink Festival is now a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. During the first week of October, the festival helps to promote the town of Stone, giving local businesses a boost while providing a fun-filled event for the community. Over the years, it has also become a platform for the promotion of Staffordshire as a foodie destination – showcasing the county’s finest culinary talent alongside the very best of its artisan produce.

Where and when does Stone Food and Drink Festival take place?

The Festival is held during the first week of October. Although there are events throughout the town to celebrate the Food and Drink Festival, the main site is Westbridge Park, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 0EX.  Dates and venue for 2020 will be released soon. For further information visit Stone Food Festival or call 01785 526007.

How much is entry to Stone Food and Drink Festival?

Many of the Festival events can be enjoyed for free. Tickets for entry to Westbridge Park are – Day passes (on the gate) – £7pp; Three day passes – £15pp
Enjoy Staffordshire Card holders – £1 off on the gate for up to 2 people (on production of card)
Accompanied under-16s get free entry
New 2019 – Joule’s Brewery T-shirt wearers £1 off on the gate
All ticket details and other information is available at www.stonefooddrink.org.uk

What, and when, is British Food Fortnight?

British Food Fortnight is held in the autumn, at the same time as harvest festival. In 2019 it runs between 21 September and 6 October.  It was established in 2002, in the wake of the Foot and Mouth crisis, and is the biggest annual, national celebration of British Food and drink, promoting the benefits of buying and eating from the British larder. To find out more, head to www.lovebritishfood.co.uk

Things you need to know

* No dogs allowed

* Parking – We recommend using the park and ride facility.

* Check out their FAQ page for more details

About the Stone Food & Drink Festival

The Stone Food & Drink Festival is a non-profit organisation, founded in 2004 to bring the community together to celebrate the very best of local produce. Since the first event in 2005, the festival has gone from strength to strength – in 2018 attracting some 20,000 visitors to town through festival week. Attended by leading businesses, pubs and producers from across the county and beyond, it is recognised as an excellent platform to promote food and drink. The 2019 Stone Food & Drink Festival will take place from 4 to 6 October 2019 and organisers once again have plans for expansion, with old favourites such as the gourmet marquee, farmers’ market, chef demonstrations, cookery classes, talks & tastings, beer tent and pop-up restaurant in addition to a host of exciting new events.

You may also want to read this:

KT Tunstall Lichfield Festival Launch Event 2019 Review

Viv Groskop: How to own the room at The Festival in a Factory 2019

Review of Just So Festival 2019 at Rode Hall in Cheshire

Review of the Bluedot 2019 Festival at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire

* We were provided with free entry passes to Stone Food Festival in return for a review. All opinions are our own.