Plans to celebrate Shobdon Food Festival’s fifth anniversary will make sure the weekend ‘goes with a swing’ say organisers.
The centrepiece of the two-day celebration of Herefordshire produce is a 1940s-themed dance party on Saturday, June 27, with the prestigious ‘Hereford Big Band’ providing the musical entertainment.
During World War Two, Shobdon played an important role in the war effort with the village’s airfield originally built as the home of an RAF school for glider pilots. Today, it survives as one of the county’s premier leisure facilities.
Festival organiser, Matt Teale, said: “Despite being a relatively small village, Shobdon has a vibrant leisure industry in which the airfield plays an important part. With 2009 the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings, we thought we’d mark its wartime origins as well as celebrating the food festival’s fifth birthday with a 1940’s dance.”
The event takes place at the festival’s idyllic showground at Shobdon church in the north of the county. Period dress is strongly encouraged on the night and there will also be a display of wartime vehicles and memorabilia throughout the weekend. The £10 entry fee to the dance includes food and a licensed bar.
Tickets are limited but still available and can be booked by phoning Terry Teale on 01568 708 725 or emailing Terry at shobdonfoodfestival@yahoo.co.uk
Other attractions across the weekend include more than 50 of the region’s finest food and drink producers with samples of everything from local meats, ciders, liquors and ice creams to the finest coffees, confectionary, pastries, wines and cheeses.
There will also be cooking demonstrations, bespoke arts, crafts and horticultural exhibits, live music and family entertainment as well as displays of vintage farm vehicles and classic cars.
Entry to the daytime events costs £4 per day with under 11s free of charge. For more information, visit www.shobdonfestival.co.uk.
lIt is the fifth time Shobdon has played host to the food festival and during that time more than £20,000 has been donated to various charities and good causes.
