The Big Nibble
The Big Nibble - A Slice of Sussex
Saturday 3 - Sunday 4 September 2011
Thousands of visitors descended on Horsham this weekend to enjoy the double day delights of the ever popular ‘Big Nibble – A Slice of Sussex’ event, extended to fill the whole weekend this year after the popularity of last year’s one day event.
Armed with an eye for a bargain people flocked to the forty special local produce stalls on Saturday 3rd September to pack their bags full of delicious local cheeses, eggs, breads, pastas, oils, ice cream, beers, honey, meats, locally produced arts and crafts and other products. Such was the demand that many of the traders reported record takings and some even sold out of their special foods, a testament to the growing popularity of locally produced food and drink.
The Big Nibble - A Slice of Sussex didn’t just offer food shopping. Large crowds on Saturday gathered eagerly to watch some inspirational open air live cookery theatre with demonstrations from top class chefs using local ingredients from restaurants such as Restaurant Tristan (Horsham), South Lodge Hotel (Lower Beeding) and Ginger’s Kitchen (Partridge Green). Horsham’s Beer Trail attracted even more participants than last year’s successful count and East Street was packed with people taking advantage of the road closure to enjoy alfresco dining in Saturday’s sunshine. Rarely has the town looked so busy.
A different Big Nibble flavour was enjoyed on Sunday when lovers of fine old English vehicles braved the rain showers to admire more than 20 classic English TVR’s and Morgans and 30 Southdown buses on display in the town centre and at Hop oast, with hundreds enjoying free rides around the District on these historic green-liveried buses. The specialist local produce stalls who returned on the Sunday were inundated with visitors stocking up on their tasty purchases whilst queues were seen mid morning from people collecting their tokens for the exclusive Nibble Trail vouchers. The famous Glastonbury ‘Grans’ graced the town with their inimitable presence whilst children enjoyed doing a ‘High Five’ with Ringo, Horsham District’s Olympic mascot, who made a guest appearance over the weekend.
All in all a great day was had by all, set against a lively and energetic range of foot stamping live music broadcast from six stages across the town stages as part of the launch of Horsham’s Festival of Sound. With the quality of local music on offer in Horsham local venues are now being urged to take advantage of the Festival over the coming month to draw in extra business for themselves and the town. (www.facebook.com/festivalofsound).
PJ Aldred, the Horsham Markets Contract Manager who organised the extra special Local Produce Markets on both days said; ‘Horsham Markets were thrilled to work with Horsham District Council on this event. It has been fantastic to see so many local food producers take part in addition to our valued Horsham stall holders, cafes and restaurants who offer such a diverse range of fresh, local produce throughout the year. What a showcase for the town and district!’
Cllr Roger Paterson, Cabinet Member for the Local Economy at Horsham District Council, who attended the event added, 'This year's Big Nibble was the biggest and best ever. Horsham residents and visitors clearly had a wonderful time during last weekend's two day celebration of all that's best in local food and drink. What could be a better way of promoting both the enjoyment and benefits of the wonderful choice of local produce grown, processed and distributed in our District?'
Horsham's ‘Big Nibble - A Slice of Sussex’ is organised by Horsham District Council and relies heavily on sponsorship and support from businesses and organisations. Horsham District Council would like to thank all event sponsors, partners and supporters for their valued involvement including: Collabor8, Horsham Advertiser, Horsham Festival of Sound, Horsham Markets, Morgan Owners Club, Piries Bar, Southdown Historic Vehicles, Southdowns National Park, Stagecoach, The Resident, TVR Owners Club, West Sussex County Times and West Sussex Gazette.
The Big Nibble - A Slice of Sussex For further information about The Big Nibble – A Slice of Sussex launch weekend, visit their dedicated website, call (01403) 215529 or email events@horsham.gov.uk
The local produce fuelled event kicks off a whole month of celebrations, as the Horsham District Food and Drink Festival organsied by Horsham District Council runs from 3 September to 2 October. For details and a programme telephone Horsham District Council on (01403) 215264.
There will also be plenty of live music as the event coincides with the launch of the month-long Horsham Festival of Sound (4 September to 9 October). Visit www.facebook.com/festivalofsound for further details.