Rachel Allen Headlines Comber Earlies Food Festival!

22nd May 2024

Best-selling cookery writer and TV chef, Rachel Allen, will headline this year’s Comber Earlies Food Festival on Saturday 22 June. The renowned teacher at the world-famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork will be joined by experienced broadcaster Lotte Duncan at the popular foodie event, where visitors can grab the opportunity to discover how best to cook the prized Comber Earlies potatoes.

Left: The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Jennifer Gilmour, with Richard Orr (Chairman of Comber Earlies Growers' Cooperative). Image: Graham Baalham-Curry. Right: Best-selling cookery writer and TV chef, Rachel Allen, will headline this year’s Comber Earlies Food Festival on Saturday 22 June.

Running as part of Taste Summer in Ards and North Down, the free-to-attend festival will be located in Comber Leisure Centre car park for the second year running. A move to the venue in 2023 saw an increased number of stalls and the addition of live music.

The festival is one of the highlights in Ards and North Down’s foodie calendar, offering a wealth of artisan food and drink stalls, vintage tractor display, celebrity chef demos and children’s entertainment, all coming together to celebrate Comber’s famed potato. Chefs will showcase their culinary talents while visitors can enjoy discussions with local food heroes and be entertained by the live music while sipping on a refreshing drink from the Artisan Bar.

Enjoy the potato-themed cooking demonstrations by Rachel Allen and find out more about our local food producers as they showcase their products with Lotte Duncan on the Food Producers’ Stage. Also at the festival, chefs from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) will run a Comber Cookery School where you can try your hand at creating some delicious dishes using traditional Comber Earlies recipes.

There will be lots for children to enjoy too. Enjoy walkabout entertainment, fun with Mr and Mrs Potato Head, ride on tractors, sensory activities and keep an eye out for the golden spuds hidden throughout the event. If you find one, take it to the Visitor Information Caravan (opposite the Leisure Centre entrance) to claim a small prize!

Comber Earlies potatoes have enjoyed Protected Geographical Indication status since 2012, a recognition of their unique taste and flavour thanks to the micro-climate in which they’re grown in the rich soil of the Ards Peninsula and Comber areas. They share this status with products such as feta, camembert, and champagne.

The Comber Earlies Food Festival is open from 11am – 5pm on Saturday 22 June. For more information, go to visitardsandnorthdown.com/TasteSummer.