LONDON (03 May 2023) — John Torode and Anna Haugh will head a star-studded line-up on the Main Stage at this year’s National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival, which returns to London’s Business Design Centre on the 15-16 July.  

MasterChef judge Torode will take to the stage on Saturday, alongside Thomasina Miers and fellow writer and restaurateur Ravinder Bhogal. They’re joined by cookbook author Ixta Belfrage and Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, the husband-and-wife team behind the Honey & Co restaurants. Former MasterChef winner Irini Tzortzoglou and chef Nathan Outlaw complete the day’s schedule.  

Haugh, who’s a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, will be performing on Sunday, sharing a line-up with the show’s current champion Nikita Pathakji. There’ll also be demonstrations by food and drink writer Melissa Thompson and restaurateurs Asma Khan and Jean-Christophe Novelli, as well as chefs April Jackson and Jeremy Pang.  

Glen Mutel, editor of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK), comments: “The Main Stage is naturally the big draw for the Food Festival, so I’m thrilled to be able to confirm such a strong final line-up, with a really pleasing mix of big-name food personalities and exciting new talent, representing a variety of styles and influences.”  

Hosted by award-winning magazines National Geographic Traveller (UK) and Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK), the event invites visitors to taste the world and broaden their palates, with tasting opportunities on the festival floor, culinary masterclasses showcasing specific cuisines, wine tutorials, live demonstrations from big-name chefs and interviews with acclaimed cookbook authors.  

Tickets are priced at £26 per person, including booking fee. All tickets include entry to the festival, with access to all interviews, Q&As, panel sessions and chef demonstrations. A limited number of tickets to the Wine & Spirits Theatre are available at the price of £6 per session, with up to two drinks tastings included.    

What’s on  

Main Stage: Demonstrations and interviews with the culinary world’s leading lights, from top chefs and broadcasters to leading writers and restaurant critics.  

Speakers’ Corner: Our second stage represents a more intimate setting, in which visitors can hear from the authors of some of the most exciting recent cookbook releases. The programme will take a deep dive into the culinary destinations that inspired these works, with visitors invited to ask questions before being able to purchase their favourite cookbook and get it signed.  

Wine & Spirits Theatre: This is where attendees can book sessions to find out about more about their favourite tipples before visiting the Drinks Showcase to try and buy wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages from across the globe, too.  

Masterclasses: When it comes to food, there’s nothing better than seeing the masters in action. The two Masterclass Theatres will showcase some of the world’s most fascinating cuisines, via a series of live cooking demonstrations and tastings.  

Exhibitors: Some of the planet’s best chefs will put a spin on classic dishes, with tourist boards on hand to tell you more about the culinary destinations that inspired them. Meanwhile, in partnership with Brand USA, Travel South USA is hosting the Travel South Pavilion, offering visitors a homespun way to discover the flavours of the Southern states. Highlights include demonstrations by renowned Southern chefs and drink aficionados serving as Travel South Ambassadors, who will prepare tasty samples and share stories behind the region’s food and drink, along with inspirational travel information.  

Whether it’s Greece, Grenada, Italy, Montenegro and beyond, a ticket to the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival offers visitors an immersive experience, giving them the inspiration to plan their next trip and get better acquainted with a local cuisine.  

Thousands of food-lovers poured into the Business Design Centre in 2022, and with this year’s event promising to be even bigger and better, tickets are expected to sell fast.  

For more information and to book, visit foodfestival.natgeotraveller.co.uk  

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Notes 

About the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival  

Organised by APL Media, publisher of the magazines National Geographic Traveller (UK) and Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK), the first National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival took place in July 2019. The event was held over two days (19-20 July 2019) at Islington’s Business Design Centre and attracted 5,500 attendees, 45 exhibitors and 59 performers (chefs, speakers and authors).  

Following on from the success of the inaugural event in 2019, and after a two-year break due to Covid-19, the Food Festival returned to the Business Design Centre in 2022, with more than 6,000 food-lovers, mainly from London and the South East, visiting over the two days (16-17 July).  

Seventy-eight exhibitors offered food, drink and expertise, with major sponsors including the Greece National Tourism Organisation, Food & Drink Wales, the Italian National Tourist Board, Parmigiano Reggiano and the Azerbaijan Tourism Board. In the two Masterclass Theatres, some of the world’s top chefs recreated dishes from as far afield as Louisiana, the Seychelles, Ecuador and Montenegro. foodfestival.natgeotraveller.co.uk  

About Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK)  

Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK) is an award-winning quarterly series of special issues of National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine brought to you by APL Media Limited. It launched in spring 2018. nationalgeographic.com/travel 

National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published under licence by APL Media Limited, from National Geographic Partners LLC in Washington, DC. The travel and lifestyle magazine launched in December 2010, and is packed full of you-are-there photography, authentic travel experiences and inspiring narratives. nationalgeographic.com/travel 

Nat Geo Media is a worldwide digital, social and print publisher, operating in more than 170 countries, with several print and digital products and more than half a billion followers on social media. Our mission is to inspire curious fans of all ages through bold and innovative storytelling about people, places and projects that shape our world, and enable our fans to connect, explore, engage with and care about the world. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com 

About APL Media  

APL Media is an award-winning content marketing agency, founded in 1997. It has been changing the narrative and the way clients communicate with their audiences for over 25 years. In addition to publishing the award-winning magazines National Geographic Traveller (UK) and Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK), and organising related events under the National Geographic brand umbrella, APL Media produces print, digital and live media across the travel and lifestyle sector. aplmedia.co.uk