Food & Drink Festival comes to a close

All good things come to an end and at the Steyning Farmers Market on Saturday 3rd October.


The last day of the Festival – the much anticipated Annual Pumpkin Weigh took place, but not in its usual format. Because of not wishing to encourage large crowds to mass round and watch as the usual ‘Tractor Weighing’ progressed, the competition took the route of putting the pumpkins on static display and asking the public to vote for what they ‘thought’ was the heaviest one.

It was just as much fun, and it is interesting that when outside forces leave you no alternative other than to change some time honoured method, the new way turns out to be just a good, if not sometimes even better!
 
First prize for the heaviest went to William and Oliver Peet from Steyning. Second heaviest prize went to Jim Buckland from Wiston and Best Shape went to Hugo from Wiston (his prize was picked up by Jim Buckland) (Winners Left to Right).

Prizes were scrummy Chocolate Goodie boxes from local producer Cocoa Loco, who was also one of the Festival sponsors. The event is organised by Derek Crush at Daylands Farm and all monies. collected from the sale of the pumpkin plants, is donated to St Barnabas, so far having raised £220 with more to come.
 
This Saturday also took in the last of the two On line Higgidy Pies Foodie Challenges (another of our wonderful sponsors) run by Caroline Meeson.

There was a tremendous uptake of competitors for both competitions and this is something which has definitely earned a place in the Festival calendar and we look forward to running them again next year.

Other On Line events run through the month took in an Instagram Cake Decorating Exhibition, the Steyning Bake Off, Pubs & Breweries of Steyning presented by Dr Janet Pennington and local author, Kevin Newman, hosting an evening about his new book ‘Beef Every Day But No Latin.’
 
Another Festival completed – albeit a very different one and against all odds! Thanks to all the sponsors who made it possible, including those mentioned above together with Horsham District Council, Steyning & District Business Chamber, Steyning & District Community Partnership and Steyning Parish Council – plus, of course, the hard working band of volunteers working behind the scenes.

All in all, a great community effort.

Here’s to 2021 and hopefully more normal times.

Very best wishes - Reina