THE BATH COFFEE FESTIVAL 2011

SATURDAY 21 - SUNDAY 22 MAY 2011 *
THE RECREATION GROUND, BATH

* subject to licensing

• What's On
• Sponsors
• Exhibit
• Support the Festival
• Festival News
• Find Us

Final countdown to the UK's first coffee festival

Final preparations are underway for the Bath Coffee Festival which takes place on the Recreation Ground at the weekend. The Mayor of Bath and Michelin-starred celebrity chef Martin Blunos will open the two day family-friendly event at 10am on Saturday. The festival will give visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of coffee, with tastings, latte art demonstrations and workshops from the UK’s most experienced baristas.

Big name coffee companies including Taylors of Harrogate, Martin Carwardine & Co, Illy, Whittard of Chelsea, Lavazza, plus an array of local producers will serve a range of different blends from all around the world. In addition, over one thousand pints of Cravendale milk will be delivered to the festival site on Friday. And it’s not just coffee companies exhibiting, visitors will be treated to a variety of delicious goodies, from beautifully handmade cakes to luxury chocolates and coffee flavoured ice creams.

The skill of the barista will be on display when Jose Melim, South West Barista Champion shows off his skills. While Daisy Rollo from Coffea Arabica will be giving a series of latte art masterclasses. Perhaps one of the most interesting demonstrations will be artist Derek Stansfield who will be painting with coffee. In addition, international rugby stars will join a touch rugby tournament on Saturday, tying in with the festival’s aim of giving a share of the profits to the Bath Rugby Community Foundation. On Sunday, there will be a free samba dancing from Bath Samba Band. All weekend, children will be able to enjoy a free bouncy castle, face painting and colouring competitions. Plus, musicians will perform acoustic sets and there will be book signings from authors.

Festival organiser Linda Donaldson said: “After months of planning, it’s very exciting that the UK’s first coffee festival is now just days away. We’ve had great support from companies in the South West and further afield and we are looking forward to a fantastic weekend. We are particularly pleased to be welcoming internationally-recognised coffee expert Mike Riley of Taylors of Harrogate and celebrity chef Martin Blunos. In addition to opening the festival, he will be there all weekend and providing free cooking demonstrations using coffee as an ingredient. This is a must attend event for all coffee lovers who want to celebrate the fine art of coffee making. And with all the activities that we have at the Festival, it will appeal to people of all ages.”

Martin Blunos, a regular on the likes of BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, ITV Daily Cooks, BBC Good Food channel and Channel 4’s Iron Chef UK, comments; “Having been born and brought up near Bath I have a great love for the city and of course a huge passion for food – and coffee! To support this new, vibrant festival is a pleasure and I am looking forward to demonstrating the alternative flavours that can be created when cooking with coffee.”

Kevin Sinfield, Brand Manager for Taylors of Harrogate is an enthusiastic supporter of the event; “It’s fantastic that Bath has been inspired to host the first festival of coffee in the UK. As the number one ground coffee brand in the UK, we are really proud to be a key sponsor of the event. The Festival presents the perfect opportunity for our family business to meet our customers and to share with them more of our exciting range of high quality coffees.

“Bath is the perfect location for the festival given its cafe society. We know that the event will attract a large audience, particularly as there are a number of exciting activities being planned around the city to draw in visitors.”