Food heroes inspire at the inaugural Talking Food Festival at Highgrove

Food heroes inspire at the inaugural Talking Food Festival at Highgrove

From 15th to 19th October, we hosted the inaugural Talking Food event at Highgrove Gardens, celebrating all things food.

Covering everything from baking the perfect bread, to herbs to help boost your memory, the five-day event saw guests enjoying the personal reflections, musings and life stories from some of the most knowledgeable and influential voices in food.

Talking Food reflected His Majesty The King’s values relating to seasonal and sustainable produce and was presented in association with Waitrose & Partners who supported the event by providing quality seasonal produce for the chef inspired menus each day.

Preparations started early last week with the wonderful garden designer Kate Durr dressing the stage with an array of harvest fruits and vegetables. Filled with vibrant colours, the stage formed the backdrop for the event and somewhere Kate would find herself many times as the Master of Ceremonies for the week!

Launching the event was Michelin star chef Angela Hartnett MBE who was joined on stage by Russell Norman and Tom Parker Bowles, and took us on a journey of the Italian Food Scene in the UK.

Breton Baker Richard Bertinet joined us on Wednesday and dispelled the myths around kneading dough as he demonstrated his technique and spoke about how to make the perfect loaf and, ultimately, show the dough who’s boss.

We had a duo of wonderful speakers on Thursday, starting with queen of the herbs, Jekka McVicar VMH, who enchanted guests with the benefits of fresh herbs and how they can breathe new life into a home, health and garden.

In the afternoon Countryfile favourite, Adam Henson, took to the stage and guided guests through a very personal journey around the nation, discovering the animals that have shaped our lives and our land throughout the centuries. 

On Friday, Raymond Blanc OBE, enthralled guests with enthusiastic stories from his childhood and the importance of using local and seasonal ingredients while maintaining an all-year-round working kitchen garden. 

Talking Food closed with legendary chef, Anton Mosimann OBE DL, who spoke about his incredible life and the key takeaways as a chef, entrepreneur and businessman.

Each event came with a delicious menu of either a two-course lunch or afternoon tea inspired by the speakers. From Angela’s delicious Parmesan arancini to Anton’s famous Bread and Butter pudding, our guests went away full of knowledge and delightful food!