Ashford's very first Food & Drink Festival is coming to town this July!

To celebrate food and drink businesses in and around Ashford Town Centre. you'll be able to ‘Taste & Try Throughout July’ and immerse themselves in the culinary delights and great hospitality that our borough has to offer. Save the dates - here's what's coming up!

We also have two fabulous competitions throughout June and July! Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out more.

THE SCHEDULE

⭐Ashford Food and Drink Launch Party at Coachworks ⭐
Friday 30 June / 4pm-10pm

Kick-starting the festival, everyone is invited to the free launch at Coachworks. There will be live music, family-friendly pizza making workshops with Il Pakkero, an independent food and drink market, as well as Coachworks’ regular fantastic food and drink offerings.

⭐ASHFOOD Festival, Elwick Place⭐
Saturday 1 July / 11am-7pm
Sunday 2 July / 12pm-5pm

Kicking off July is ASHFOOD! – A two-day event at Elwick Place. Celebrating the producers, restaurants, pop-ups, and bars from Ashford Town Centre and beyond. Including live music, children’s crafts, DJs and more, this will be a great family-friendly celebration of food and drink.

Find out more

⭐Wine and Cheese Tasting Evening ⭐
Wednesday 19 July 

An Evening with Wine Garden of England and Boys Hall, at Revelation in St Mary’s Church. Enjoy a tutored wine tasting from seven of Kent’s finest wineries including Ashford based Chapel Down, Biddenden, Westwell Wines and Gusbourne alongside local cheeses and charcuterie, all accompanied by live music from Jonny Hepbir

Tickets go on sale Saturday 3rd June at 10am.

BOOK HERE

⭐Summer Beers & BBQ Festival ⭐
Friday 21 July, Saturday 22 July and Sunday 23 July

Curious Brewery & Wild Beer Co are running a three-day Summer Beers & BBQ Festival. Come along to taste summer small plates, BBQ classics, exclusive brews and live music.

FREE ENTRY. No need to book.

PLUS at Coachworks...

⭐Bottomless Brunches ⭐
Saturday 1 July and 15 July / 12.30pm-2pm
£35 per person

90 minutes of unlimited House Lager, Fizz, Pimms or Cocktails (Blue Lagoons, Woo Woo’s or Mimosas), plus one main course from any of the street food vendors.

BOOK 1 JULY HERE 

⭐Wine tastings with Wine Tours of Kent ⭐
Thursday 13 July / 6.30pm-8.00pm
Tickets £20 per person, over 18s only

A fantastic evening of wine tasting hosted by Wine Tours of Kent, consisting of a tutored tasting of six amazing Kent wines accompanied by some light nibbles.

Bookings coming soon

⭐Pizza making workshops ⭐
13, 20 and 27 July / 4.30pm-6pm
£12 per adult / £5 per child

An authentic pizza making session where you can make your own pizza and learn how to use the wood fired pizza oven. Jac and Fran from Il Pakkero will talk you through how to make the dough, choose your toppings and use the ovens. A really fun workshop with a delicious pizza to enjoy afterwards.

Bookings coming soon

⭐Craft Beer tasting Evening & Pizzas⭐
Thursday 27 July / 7pm-9pm
£25 per ticket (including pizza)

An evening of Craft Beer and Pizza with a tutored tasting of five amazing craft beers (keg and bottled) as well as making your own pizza with Il Pakkero in their wood-fired oven.

Hosted by Il Pakkero and the Made Inn at Coachworks.

Bookings coming soon

⭐TMI Beer Fest⭐
15 July / 2pm-11.30pm

FREE ENTRY and then tokens available for the beer festival

The second TMI beer festival with live, original music from local bands.

⭐Independent food and drink market⭐
Sunday 30 July / 10am-4pm

FREE ENTRY. No need to book.

⭐Made in Ashford food and makers market⭐

Saturday 1 July / 10am-4pm

Head to Park Mall for the monthly Makers Market which for July will be food themed!

PLUS Made in Ashford has a series of fun family-friendly workshops with a food and drink spin including pizza bunting, ice cream garlands and making your own piñata – just a few of their all-inclusive programme for the festival. You can book onto the workshops here.

Other businesses involved in the festival so far include The Little Teapot, Leo & Sage, Low Key Taproom, Valeries, Salata, Matches, Itacas, County Square and many more soon to be added

CHECK BACK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS AS THEY COME

                    ⭐⭐⭐⭐COMPETITIONS⭐⭐⭐⭐

To celebrate the launch of the Ashford Food and Drink Festival, we are delighted to be partnering up with Kent Cookery School and Gusbourne Estate to give you the chance to enter two exclusive competitions!

WIN A COOKING CLASS FOR TWO PEOPLE AT KENT COOKERY SCHOOL

Join Kent Cookery School for a fun hands-on cooking session where you will whip up some delicious dishes. Choose from over 25 evening courses including Mexican, Vietnamese, Thai, Turkish and even Street Food courses. If baking is more your style, then you’ll love the Doughnut and Macaron baking sessions. Learn from friendly professional tutors and meet like-minded food lovers for an informative hands-on session.

ENTER HERE

WIN A WINE TASTING & 3 COURSE MEAL FOR 4 PEOPLE AT GUSBOURNE WINE ESTATE

Win a Discovery Experience for four people at award-winning winery, Gusbourne Estate. Begin the day with a perfectly chilled glass of sparkling wine, while taking in the views across the Boot Hill vineyard. Enjoy a brief tutored tasting, where your host will guide you through two distinctly different styles of Gusbourne sparkling. After the tasting, you’ll be left to enjoy a leisurely seasonal three-course lunch perfectly paired with a selection of Gusbourne sparkling wines.

ENTER HERE