Coast To Coast Food Festival on BBC2 and BBCiPlayer celebrates the best of British! Food festivals are popping up all over the UK as producers and chefs look for opportunities to show off their quality produce, and now in Coast to Coast Food Festival, presenters Edith Bowman, Colin Murray and Sean Fletcher take us on a whirlwind tour of the best of them. Showing us how to get quality produce at fair prices, the trio visit everywhere from the Stranraer Oyster Festival to Abergavenny Food Festival and Ballycastle’s Ould Lammas Fair.
“I grew up in a hotel, so food and local produce has always been part of my DNA,” says Edith Bowman. “I’ve had such a beautiful time exploring different parts of the UK and celebrating its food and people, not least in my homeland! We’ve uncovered stories behind some of UK’s most loved dishes and products and also celebrated the beautiful way food can connect people from all over the world.”
“The series was an absolute joy to film and we had a blast exploring the places and meeting the people behind the award-winning produce,” adds Colin Murray. “I was in my element and blown away by the variety the food on offer, from Korean kimchi and Jamaican patties at Mela Festival in Belfast to sailing into Loch Ryan to discover what makes oysters so special ahead of the Stranraer Oyster Festival.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the new BBC2 series Coast To Coast Food Festival…
Coast To Coast Food Festival release date
Coast To Coast Food Festival is a 20-episode series that starts on BBC2 and BBCiPlayer from Monday March 13 at 6.30pm, with episodes running weekdays at the same time over four weeks.
Locations and what happens in Coast to Coast Food Festival?
Coast to Coast Food Festival sees Edith Bowman, Colin Murray and Countryfile's Sean Fletcher join a host of chefs and food enthusiasts to uncover the secrets of farmers and food producers and teach us how to get the best quality food for our money. They are touring the UK to visit the most exciting food festivals and markets and meeting the people behind the produce. Across the series we visit Mela Festival in Belfast, Taste Cumbria in Cockermouth and Glasgow Foodies’ Festival among others.
Coast to Coast Food Festival episode guide
Here's what's happening in each episode of Coast to Coast Food Festival...
Episode 1: Stranraer
Edith and Colin visit the Stranraer Oyster festival in Scotland, where they enjoy the three-day celebrations, head out on Loch Ryan to collect oysters and then have a shucking competition. Meanwhile, farmer Meinir Howells discovers cheese made 150ft underground in Wales and baker Briony-May Williams takes a trip to see how peas go from being picked to frozen in under two hours. Presenter Ryan Hand is on a quest to find a healthy ready meal.
Episode 2: Abergavenny
Sean Fletcher explores the Abergavenny food festival and discovers the secrets of barbequing success from passionate experts Sam and Shauna. Baker Briony-May Williams is in North Yorkshire to find which potato makes the perfect chip, and chef Suzie Lee is in County Down finding out exactly what goes into making scampi. And with lots of people now working from home, chef Julie Lin is on the hunt for healthy snacks.
Episode 3: Ballycastle
Colin and Edith are at Ballycastle’s famous Ould Lammas Fair and find out how Venezuelan street food made it to Northern Ireland. They discover how to make money go further when it comes to meat and Colin introduces Edith to Yellowman and dulce. Chef Julie Lin digs deep to reveal some myths about frozen food, and food journalist Leyla Kazim joins fishermen off the Cornish coast in search of sardines.
Episode 4: Cumbria
Sean and Edith enjoy themselves at Cockermouth’s food festival, meeting passionate food producers, and getting tips on homemade pitta bread from a MasterChef winner. Cookery writer Michaela Chiappa discovers how seaweed is being harvested for food, and chef Julie Lin gets the low down on low fat, semi-skimmed and full fat milk. Chef Suzie Lee reveals how top chefs are getting creative as they reduce food waste.
Episode 5: Glasgow
Edith and Colin are at the Glasgow Foodies’ Festival, where they discover the secrets to the best egg fried rice with chef Jimmy Lee, and how to spot ‘fake’ vanilla. Food journalist Leyla Kazim investigates how many people it takes to make a bag of crisps, and chef Suzie Lee finds a delicious fishy surprise in Lough Neagh. Onkar Singh Purewal discover how a food stall has provided a lifeline for a Cardiff community.
Episodes 6 to 20
We will update these later episodes as the series progresses so please do check back.
Coast to Coast Food Festival presenters Edith Bowman and Colin Murray
Colin Murray presents the quiz show Countdown and Countdown: Championship of Champions. He’s also a presenter on sports shows such as Football on 5, Today at Wimbledon and Match of the Day 2. Colin has appeared on The Real Hustle, Celebrity Masterchef and Comic Relief Does Fame Academy as well as Driving Wars.
Radio DJ and presenter Edith Bowman regularly presents on music shows, commentating on events ranging from the Brits and Top of the Pops to Glastonbury. She and Colin Murray teamed up for the Colin and Edith Show in 2006 and she’s also appeared on numerous series including Loose Women, Lorraine, Pointless Celebrities, Michael McIntyre's The Wheel and Celebrity Game Night.
Coast To Coast Food Festival — chefs and guests joining Edith Bowman and Colin Murray
Countryfile’s Sean Fletcher is also a presenter on the show. “Filming Coast To Coast Food Festival has opened my eyes to the amazing produce we have in the UK, which doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg,” he says. “I've been to food festivals and markets right across Wales and England, from Cardiff to Cockermouth, and Leicester to Llangollen learning about local food wherever I go. One of the things that stood out for me is the incredible entrepreneurial spirit of all the food producers I've met along the way, and the pride they have in feeding the nation.”
The team also includes baker Briony May Williams and food journalist Leyla Kazim in England; chef Suzie Lee in Northern Ireland; farmer Jim Smith and chef Julie Lin and in Scotland and foodie Onkar Singh Purewal, farmer Meinir Howells and cookery writer Michela Chiappa in Wales to discover the secrets behind some of our favourite food and drink.
Is there a trailer for Coast To Coast Food Festival?
No, and we’re not sure the BBC will release one for Coast to Coast Food Festival but it’s not too long before you can tickle your tastebuds watching the series itself.
