Foodies across the UK will be heading to GO! Organic Festival in their thousands this September for London’s exciting new organic food and music festival.
Taking place over the weekend of 8-9 September at Battersea Park, the event’s stellar line-up now includes celebrity cook Melissa Hemsley, one half of the Hemsley + Hemsley sisters – whose inspirational food business is well-known for championing the importance of good nutrition, sustainable sourcing and responsible environmental practices.
Called “the Queen of the kitchen” by Marie Clare, Melissa will be extending her reign to GO!’s Organic Kitchen stage. Closing the event with the last interactive session of the day at 4pm on Sunday 9 September, she’ll be offering visitors a rare treat as she shares insights into her career so far, tips on eating well and making the most out of ingredients, and answers audience questions. All whilst serving up a sumptuous selection of fast, fuss-free dishes from her new bestselling book Eat Happy: 30-minute feelgood food. There will also be book signing opportunities following her session.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer such an incredible Organic Kitchen line-up for our first event,” says GO! Organic Festival’s sales manager, Amanda Thackray.
“GO! Organic Festival is about people coming together to have fun and share their love of all things organic. It’s about seeing, sampling, tasting, experiencing, and discovering what’s out there, what’s new. The event is already creating quite a buzz across London and beyond, and having Melissa Hemsley part of the line-up just makes it even more unmissable. This is really big news for us and a huge opportunity for visitors to hear insights from such an influential and knowledgeable healthy eating advocate.”
A feast for the senses
Over two action-packed days, the festival will feature over a dozen demos in the Organic Kitchen. Other new names on the menu include: Honey Spencer, sommelier extraordinaire for Abel & Cole, sharing her top organic wine picks for the months ahead; and nutritional expert Christine Bailey (her new book My Kids Can’t Eat That: How to Deal with Allergies & Intolerances in Children is out next month), who will be sharing her favourite allergy-free recipes for the whole family.
Jay Morjaria, founder of London’s first meat-free cookery school Sutra Kitchen, has also been confirmed as GO!’s Organic Kitchen host. A regular at food festivals and events, the ‘plant-forward’ chef recently appeared on the BBC’s Million Pound Menu, where his innovative East Asian restaurant concept ‘Dynasty’ (already a sell-out London supper-club) landed an investment offer of £500,000.
The Organic Kitchen line-up also includes:
- Acclaimed chef Theo Randall prepares dishes from his new book My Simple Italian
- Gelf Alderson, executive chef at River Cottage and a passionate advocate of the sustainable food movement, showcases seasonal recipes from River Cottage Kitchens’ newly-launched menus
- GBBO contestant Chetna Makan, author of The Cardamom Trail and Chai, Chaat & Chutney, makes Indian street food that tastes amazing and takes just minutes to prepare, including a couple of quick chutneys and potato chaat
- Eco-restauranteur Arthur Potts-Dawson – described as ‘the original green chef’ by Jamie Oliver, discusses the importance of organic standards in his session on transparency in the food sector
- Food writer and organic produce enthusiast Rosie Birkett, explores the magnificent versatility of organic carrots
- Asian cookery expert Angela Malik demonstrates how easy it is to make paneer (the star ingredient in many Indian dishes) from scratch, plus paneer bruschetta and chilli paneer chaat
- Emily Watkins, head chef at The Kingham Plough and a winner of the BBC’s Great British Menu, shares her tips on how to get creative with everyday seasonal vegetables, including her take on tomato consommé
“I love to cook dishes where the star ingredients have been organically grown, picked and cooked within 24 hours,” says Emily Watkins, “There is nothing that tastes sweeter than a sun ripened blackberry, nor can the aroma of a vine ripened tomato be replaced with a tin of plum tomatoes.”
There is, she adds, “masses” she’s looking forward to seeing at GO! Organic Festival (aside from her session): “It is great to be part of an event celebrating responsibly produced and delicious products.”
Celebrating the best of organic
GO! Organic Festival promises to showcase the biggest selection of organic food and drink of the year. Whether you’re looking to stock up on grocery staples or try something completely new – there’s plenty of opportunities to do both here.
Among the confirmed exhibitors to date – there are over 100 to choose from in GO! Organic Festival’s indoor organic marketplace – are: Daioni Organic (Welsh milk and dairy products); Luscious Organic Ice Cream (their 10-strong range includes Banana & Custard, Strawberry & Jersey Cream and Chocolate Hazelnut); Queenspark Wine (organic and biodynamic wines); Sage 8 Foods (nutrient-dense superfood snacks and paleo breads); SugaVida (award winning turmeric lattes); and Aston’s Bakehouse (breads, cakes and pastries). Plus festival partners, sponsors and supporters: Abel & Cole, Clearspring, Crazy Jack, Tarantella, Honest Organic, Pukka, Helen Browning’s Organic, G’s Fresh, Verival, and Wyld Wood Organic. The event forms part of the Organic September celebrations and has the support of the Soil Association and the Organic Trade Board’s #FeedYourHappy campaign.
Advance tickets selling fast
There are plenty of activities to keep the whole family busy at GO! Organic Festival, including a raft of big-names and up and coming bands on the main stage – including The Hoosiers and The Magic Numbers; celebrity talks; GO! Organic Beer Festival hosted by Stroud Brewery; children’s entertainers – including Mr Bloom and Andy & The Odd Socks; fantastic feature areas like Meet The Farmer and the Clearspring Japanese Tea Garden; Abel & Cole’s picnic area; circus acts; free fair rides; children’s petting farm; hands-on workshops; bug hunts; Honest Organic’s Eco Art Camp; kids orchard PYO and more.
Discounted advance tickets can be purchased via the website, with tickets for adults priced at £26, children at £13 (under 5’s are free), and a family of four at £69 (after the early bird discount ends, prices are £32 for adults, £15 for children and £85 for a family ticket). For full details, please visit www.goorganicfestival.co.uk.