THE SIGHTS and smells of dozens of different types of food mingled in the centre of Dungarvan yesterday as record crowds attended the finale market of this year’s Waterford Festival of Food.
Grattan Square and Main Street were closed off as cars and vans were replaced by stalls and tents featuring some of the southeast’s premium food producers.
Thousands of people poured into the town, attracted by the food, the atmosphere, the live music and also the sunshine which the festival organisers seem able to arrange on an annual basis.
From steak sandwiches to cupcakes, gourmet sausages to ice-cream, locally-produced sauces to oriental meals made with regional ingredients, it was all on offer to the hordes who kept the streets full throughout yesterday and kept the tills ticking over.
Festival chief executive Therese McDermott said the festival, now in its fifth year, was an outstanding success.
“The feedback from visitors has been phenomenal and supporters have really been commending the variety on our programme which includes everything from events for the family to high-brow, high-calibre Michelin-star chefs to mobile farms.”
Among the highlights of the weekend was The Brewer, The Blogger and The Baker in Dungarvan’s civic offices. Transformed into a “pop-up restaurant”, the building hosted Niamh Shields (award-winning food and travel blogger and author); Eunice Power of Cooking for You (the baker) and Claire Dalton from the Dungarvan Brewing Company (the brewer) who created a unique meal for a sell-out crowd.