BALLYMENA BITES: A bite-sized food festival of free family fun!
MayWe Events supported by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in partnership with the Department for Communities are delighted to introduce Ballymena Bites, a bite sized food festival.
The programme, running from 8th - 10th April, hosted by Tower Centre, Ballymena, includes a range of free food-based activities that promote and showcase local retailers.
With demos from award winning local chefs such as Jenny Bristow, free cookery workshops, walk about characters and the launch of the Ballymena Bites food map there is sure to be something for the whole family.
Join Cullybackey local Jenny Bristow, renowned TV chef and best-selling author of 14 cookery books as she cooks up her favourite Easter recipes from breakfast brunch, Easter puddings and home baked treats with plenty of opportunities to taste! Watch her judge the final of the school cupcake decorating contest on Saturday morning at 11am where selected finalists will bring their cupcake creations to life.
The festival also welcomes food demos from Rob Curley the multi award winning chef behind Slemish Supper Club. Rob’s cooking features the best of local and seasonal produce to create pop up dining extravaganzas in venues all over Ballymena. He’ll be cooking up a storm on the Tower Centre demo kitchen on Friday with recipes including chocolate and potato cake with a potato custard and hot and sour rhubarb soup.
While Chris Rees takes to the kitchen on Saturday, Head Chef for The River Room, Galgorm. Chris creates dishes that showcase local artisan producers with carefully selected seasonal menus. His River Room restaurant is one of only four in Northern Ireland to be awarded 3 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence.
Sarah-Jane Montgomery, Director of MayWe Events commented that:
“It’s an exciting opportunity to showcase the fantastic food Ballymena has to offer. Each chef has been carefully selected for their passion for promoting local produce, while the Ballymena Bites food map offers a comprehensive guide of local food-based retailers and eateries that will encourage people to discover what’s on their doorstep.
“We have some great workshops lined up aimed at children and adults. Saturday offers kids pizza making workshops with local retailer Take and Bake, where children are invited to get messy rolling out dough and decorating pizzas to take home and bake. Closely followed by a children’s cupcake decorating workshop where participants are encouraged to get creative with easter themed decorations.
“On Sunday there’s opportunity to improve your technique and get to grips with piping and making decorations in an adult cupcake workshop lead by Wyse Bites, followed by Meat Free Mexican Cooking where participants will learn how to make the best dips, salsas and salads to level up their meat free days!”
Registration for workshops is recommended to avoid disappointment.
To register for a workshop please go to www.maywe.eventbrite.co.uk or visit MayWe Events on Facebook or Instagram for more information
