Welcoming more than 35,000 visitors over two days, Abergavenny Food Festival is one of the largest of its kind and is renowned for championing the best of British and international produce.

Abergavenny prides itself on educating and celebrating food provenance, which made the festival the perfect place to showcase the versatility of Canadian maple syrup.

Maple from Canada treated guests to live cookery demonstrations with five of its UK chef ambassadors. All the cooking took place over fire on a special stage.

The event was compered by Welsh barbecue gurus and Maple from Canada ambassadors Samantha Evans and Shauna Guinn, of the award-winning Barry-based Hang Fire Southern Kitchen. They were joined by James Golding, of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA), author, food stylist and blogger Georgina Hayden, and Great British Bake Off star Manon Lagrève.

Each chef ambassador cooked a dish and took the audience on a journey of culinary discovery, sharing the secret of maple and how it can be used in a variety of dishes.

First up was James Golding, who cooked maple-cured Chalk Stream trout, followed by Georgina, who prepared lamb kofta.

To add a touch of sweetness, Manon finished the demonstration with a maple peach pain perdu.

Against the stunning backdrop of Abergavenny Castle, members of the audience were invited to have a taste of the chefs’ delicious dishes.

Throughout the event, visitors enjoyed tastings of maple sugar pies and were given maple autumn recipe booklets at the Maple from Canada stand.

By Chloe Baker
Senior account manager