Watch this new video about The Big Feed festival 2018 that captures all the stories of the day – enormous thanks to everyone who supported, participated, and came along on the day. I loved writing a science show script about Banbury’s food heritage and delivering it with experiments by Andres Tretiakov.

Coffee, chocolate, cake and curry sauce were all on the menu at this year’s Big Feed festival on Sunday 23rd September as the town celebrated its food heritage and thriving food industry.

A community event organised by Wykham Park Academy, held in Space Studio Banbury, and supported by Cherwell District Council and Visit Banbury, the festival brought together large and small food companies including Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Barry Callebaut, Limes Farm, Broughton Grounds Farm and McDonalds. The free lunch saw people’s plates packed with noodles by Malaysian Memories, chicken gumbo including meat by Betts Butchers, and Jamie Oliver Meal Creations rice, made in Banbury and donated by Fiddes Payne, plus locally-made samosas, bhajis and quiches. Vegetables and fruit were supplied by Produce Warriors, and chocolate for the fountains was donated by Callebaut. Mayor Shaida Hussain chaired a panel debate with local food experts on the future of food – hi-tech or traditional? and local eggs, honey, coffee and curry sauce were on sale.

Festival-goers could use their mobile phones to log in to a new multi-player chef game Too Many Cooks made by sixth-formers at the school. Food science entertainment by Andres Tretiakov and Emma Walton included making slime from cornflour, exploding custard powder, growing snakes from sugar, and testing acids and alkalis using red cabbage. Local author Rebecca Mileham explained how rosewater is one ingredient of Banbury cakes, and that locally-grown roses and rhubarb went on display at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.