Taste of Scilly, the annual food festival organised by the Islands’ Partnership, returns in September with a month-long celebration of the very best in local food, drink and produce from across the five inhabited islands. This year’s event will, in particular, showcase our islands’ outstanding seafood offering alongside other island-grown delights.
The Taste of Scilly programme for 2018 is packed with events sharing the unique low-food miles, slow-food culture of the famously unspoilt archipelago. There’s a fresh foodie experience to savour every day, many from award-winning producers – from lobster feasts and surf and turf beach barbecues to pop-up crab shack evenings, paella nights, chowder chowdowns, Scillonian taster menus and wine pairing dining experiences.
New for this year is a one-off Island Hopping Supper Safari where diners enjoy evening aperitifs, starter, main course and pudding at idyllic locations on different islands whilst chaperoned across the archipelago island to island on a private boat charter. This unique event takes places on the evening of Wednesday 12th September and is limited to just 12 people, so make sure you book early if you don’t want to miss out. (NB – Further date added Saturday 15th – both sold out.)
The evening programme will be supplemented with working family-farm tours and tastings across St. Mary’s, Bryher, St. Agnes and St. Martin’s; gin tastings from Westward Farm and the launch of foodie book “An Island’s Food Mile” on St. Agnes; workshops with Bryher-based Island Fish on how to pick your crab and lobster; a “day in the life of” a lobster fisherman talks on St. Mary’s and afternoons learning how to crimp your own pasties.
On Sunday 9th September, there will be a special Taste in the Park Scillonian produce market on St. Mary’s featuring many of the islands’ local producers and live entertainment throughout the day. Also across that weekend, the Seven Stones Inn on St. Martin’s will host its annual Beer, Cider, Gin and Rum Festival showcasing drinks produced across the islands with a Taste of Scilly menu to match.
And on the 10th September, visitors can indulge in the extraordinary Low Tide experience. For two to three hours only, visitors roll up their trouser legs to reach a sandbank between Tresco & Bryher for this ultra mini-food festival that serves up bowls of locally harvested garlic mussels, seafood paella dished directly from a beached fishing boat, Tresco salt beef and Scilly mackerel baps washed down with fabulous gin cocktails and prosecco whilst being serenaded with live music – an experience not to be missed!
Throughout the islands, there’ll be lots of special Taste of Scilly offers and stories to be shared amongst all our passionate local producers, be they bakers, brewers, chefs, farmers, fishermen or fantastic foodie producers. There’ll also be wine tastings at Scilly’s two vineyards, and tours of micro-brewery Ales of Scilly.
David Jackson, Executive Director of the Islands’ Partnership (Visit Isles of Scilly), says: “We’re delighted to be hosting our third Taste of Scilly festival this September. For an archipelago so small, Scilly boasts an extraordinary array of award-winning producers and foodie entrepreneurs; you’re never far from fresh produce and refreshment on the islands – from freshly-caught seafood, farm-grown vegetables, island-reared duck and beef, homemade ice cream and fudge, and the islands’ own wine and beer. Taste of Scilly is a fantastic celebration of all the good things that are produced, reared and prepared here on our tiny islands, as well as our most distinctive eateries.”
For the full Taste of Scilly programme and more details, go to www.visitislesofscilly.com/tasteofscilly.