Food on display and for sale at the On Blackheath Festival. Photo: www.onblackheath.comGourmet food proved to be the new rock ’n’ roll at a weekend festival in London where 10 acclaimed chefs, three of whom hold Michelin stars, demonstrated their culinary prowess against a backdrop of live music.
Headliners at the first On Blackheath Festival included Massive Attack, Grace Jones and Aloe Blacc.
But it was the chefs, among them Richard Bainbridge, who heads up the Michelin-starred Morston Hall in Norfolk, England, and who demonstrated how to cook a Sunday roast to a packed audience, who stole the show.
He served the dish a couple of hours later to festival-goers lucky enough to get his sold-out £25 ticket for two courses and wine in Gizzi’s Chef’s Club, an on-site pop-up restaurant offering sittings of the meals presented at the event.
Other chefs serving up meals included the BBC’s Valentine Warner, multi-award winner Simon Hulstone, pop-up veteran Carl Clarke, barbecue chef Neil Rankin, baking duo The Meringue Girls and Jack Stein, son of acclaimed cookbook writer and restaurateur Rick Stein.
The On Blackheath festival was a first for London but only the latest in Britain putting food at the fore.
TV chef Jamie Oliver and Blur bassist-turned-farmer Alex James collaborated three years ago to start The Big Feastival. It took place at the end of August, featuring headliners such as Fleetwood Mac and De La Soul while revellers sank their teeth into food by Michelin chef Nathan Outlaw and restaurateur Mark Hix.
We’ve chosen people who are doing the best that they’re doing within the industry
Another music and foodie event – Good Life Experience in Flintshire, Wales – comes to an end today. Led by singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews, it included a diverse musical line-up, cooking classes and food stands.
Back at On Blackheath, named for its locale in south London, Gizzi Erskine, a pop-up chef and TV personality who curated the Chef’s Club, said the aim was to make fine dining more accessible and present it to a new audience.
“We’ve chosen people who are doing the best that they’re doing within the industry,” Erskine said at the festival. “Michelin food for £25? That means they’re getting out there. They’re showing people what they can do.”
She said eating had become a more important part of festivals as people’s desire for good food grew.
“We look at other festivals that go on throughout the year, like Wilderness and Latitude, and the food offering there is amazing... We’re not just happy with your average burger anymore or to go through a sea of noodles – we want something proper.”