After a short hiatus for a worldwide pandemic, the Universal Cookery and Food Festival was back with a bang this year. With the location set appropriately in the Garden of England (Kent) the imposing big top at Loddington Farm played host to a wide range of brands, along with a trends and debate stage and The Staff Canteen Live. Not only was the event, dubbed Glastonbury for chefs, awash with food and drink, it also offered farm and foraging tours for those up for braving the elements and getting back to nature.

The day started with blue skies and sunshine, the perfect backdrop to our client McCormick’s’ high impact al fresco stand, which was there to greet all those arriving with killer tunes courtesy of McCormick fan DJ BBQ, not to mention amazing freshly BBQed burgers using their fabulous sauces including Frank’s RedHot, New Frank’s RedHot Mayo, and Cholula (classic and Chipotle) hot off the grill under the watchful eye of DJ BBQ’s sidekick, Chops, and McCormick’s chef Ian.

The sliders went down a treat, as did the on-stand ‘spin-to-win’, with much-admired merch and samples up for grabs. Sadly, come the afternoon the weather took a turn for the worse and although the ever-hardy chef souls didn’t let it get them down, it did mean that it was safest to pack up the McCormick gazebos in case any more fly away! Then it was over to the car park to be towed out of the mud by the trusty tractors. Well done to The Craft Guild of Chefs, event organisers 365 Events, and all those involved in this refreshingly different chef event! Here’s to 2025!