Six of the Best: Yorkshire Post's Yorkshire Food & Drink Show
Cooking School
Sunday 11.30am-12.30p0pm
Sessions are being provided by cooks from The Carlton School of Food, Malton Cookery School and Jamies Ministry of Food on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At 11.30pm, chef Rekha Sonigra, owner of
Mango Restaurant in Wetherby will be showing a classic vegetarian dish and how to get the most out of spices.
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Hide AdThen at 12.30pm, there will be a session from Simon Chappela, head tutor at
Jamie’s Leeds - Ministry of Food. Simon will be demonstrating his sizzling beef recipe in a black bean sauce. Take our advice and don’t eat before you go.
Greek Classic
Sunday 1.30pm
George Psarias, the inimitable director of The Olive Tree restaurant, which is now based in Headingley, will be cooking up two Greek classic hummus dips, plus The Olive Tree’s famous Lamb Cleftiko dish.
George Psarias is a Greek Cypriot but moved to England aged 16. He worked in management before deciding to open a restaurant with his wife Vasoulla. The couple have two children and two grandchildren. George has appeared on Marco Pierre White’s Kitchen Wars in 2012 and is a world record holder for smashing 89 plates in 30 seconds.
Take a look at a video of last year’s show here.
Beer & Cocktails
Saturday 2.30pm & 5.30pm
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Hide AdWho doesn’t like combining food and drink. After all, they’re best pals, as Leeds Brewery pub The Lamb and Flag head chef Andrew Cherry will be demonstrating at 2.30pm, with a scrumptious sounding gratinated goats cheese and Midnight Bell caramelized onion tart in a crystal malt shortcrust pastry, with beetroot and tomato salad also glazed ribs with gathering storm BBQ sauce. Now that is a mouthful. At 5.30pm, cocktail specialists Adam Ketteringham and John Quinlan will be asking the audience to help them make the perfect cocktail.
Italian Connection
Saturday 4.30pm
Headingley-based Salvo’s present ‘Cucina Povera’ - the ‘poor cuisine’ of the South of Italy, which utilizes cheap ingredients but delivers great tasting food.
Gip and Salvo Dammone, father and son team, will demonstrate how easy it is to produce a great plate for less than a pound per person with a few ingredients found in most kitchens.
They will be demonstrating a delicious meal with a few store cupboard staples, such as an onion, a spud or two and a pack of pasta.
What’s not to love?
Chilli Eating Contest
sunday 2.30pm
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Hide AdThey say some like it hot but not many can hold a flame to Frank Jay, director of the Chilli Shop in the Merrion Centre. Frank will be holding a chilli eating competition on stage at this year’s event - this is a fiercely contested challenge to end the festival in a hot demonstration. Eight contestants (or victims as he call them - plus some on standby), will take part in the public showdown, on Sunday at 2.30pm. If you would like to take part, contact the Chilli-Shop in the Leeds Merrion Centre or via website chilli-shop.co.uk. The competition involves eating increasingly hot chillies until one person is left standing.
Cookery Demonstration
Saturday 1.30pm
The Yorkshire Post Food and Drink Show 2016 is the flagship event of the Leeds Food and Drink Festival and is now in its sixth year. It’s a foodies’ delight and the show is completely free to the public. On Saturday, chef Kevin Hughes, tutor at Leeds City College will have two students joining him on stage during his demonstrations, Ellie Cooper and Alex Devaney.
Ellie is in the Academy of Excellence VRQ Level 2 diploma in professional cookery and has recently won silver for the hot starter class at the NECTA awards. Alex is first year Academy of Excellence VRQ Level 1 diploma, with a passion for front of house.