The Alresford Watercress Festival is getting closer (Sunday 15 May), and organisers are revealing more about what to expect from the day, including a raft of celebrity chefs such as TV’s Lesley Waters and MasterChef’s Shelina Permaloo, showing how to get creative with watercress, plus an exciting competition for locals to demonstrate their culinary creativity with the final judging to take place at the festival.
Lesley Waters, star of Ready Steady Cook, This Morning and a regular contributor to James Martin’s Saturday Kitchen, has run her own cookery school in Dorset for the last 15 years. She has published several cookery books and is frequently found penning articles for magazines while enjoying her role as ambassador for Teflon and their ‘Inspiring Culinary Generations awards’ which is now in its 10th year.
Shelina Permaloo won MasterChef in 2012 and since then has gone on to be a regular on our screens and radio including appearances on This Morning, Sunday Brunch and Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet. Shelina opened her first restaurant in April 2016 – the hugely popular ‘Lakaz Maman’ a Mauritian Street Kitchen in Bedford Place, Southampton. In her spare time, she has written several cookery books and is currently the Chair for Southampton 2025 City of Culture bid alongside Southampton’s Craig David.
Both these incredible chefs can be seen at the demo kitchen on Broad Street, as well as popular local chefs, Andy McKenzie and Phil Yeomans from the Lainston House Hotel, Becca Hoddinott from the Natural Cooking Company, and Hampshire born chef, Thomas Hinsley who for several years worked in Michelin starred London restaurants including Launceston Place. They’ll wow and inspire the crowd, ably assisted by festival regular, Davina Tibbetts who will keep them in line and on time!
Of course, with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee only three short weeks later, expect recipes that could grace the table of any royal and plenty of perfect street party dishes. But the organisers are keen to encourage festival goers to get involved and are running a competition to ‘create a dish fit for the Queen’ with one lucky winner walking away with a fantastic YETI Roadie worth £200 for all those summer picnics, filled with freshly harvested watercress and a delicious hamper of fresh produce, fizz and much more. Second and third prizes of Hampshire Farmers Market goodies and lots of wonderful watercress will also be awarded.
To be in with a chance to win this tasty prize, entrants are asked to create a savoury or sweet recipe suitable for a celebration picnic, or party and which serves 4 people. The other caveat is that a maximum of seven ingredients can be used, including of course watercress, although other seasoning, herbs and spices are additional.
Recipes will be judged in advance by Davina Tibbetts and members of the Watercress Festival team. The 3 finalists will be invited to bring their prepared dishes to the festival, where they will be joined on stage for the final tasting by the Lord Mayor of Winchester, celebrity chefs and some of the festival organisers.
The closing date for entries is Saturday 7 May 2022 and entrants need to simply complete the form here and include a photo of their finished dish.
On the day, Nutritionist, Lucy Williamson and Dr Kyle Stewart will be on hand to tell the crowds about the incredible health benefits of watercress to make watching the cookery demos, and how to include more watercress in everyday meals, even more important.
And of course, all the usual favourite elements will be there; the procession of the new king and queen of watercress dispensing the freshly harvested watercress to the crowd, over 140 stalls groaning with local food and crafts, musical performances, entertainment for the kids, and the pièce de résistance – the World Watercress Eating Championships to see if current incumbent, Glenn Walsh can retain his crown for the 14th consecutive year!
There is no charge to come to the festival although there are parking fees and the organisers do urge visitors to give a donation to Abby’s Heroes, a wonderful local children’s cancer charity, in exchange for the free watercress available throughout the duration of the festival. In this way, more than £50,000 has been raised over the years, and festival organisers are keen to add substantially to that total particularly as there has been no festival for the last two years.
For more information about the participating chefs, Lucy Williamson, Dr Kyle Stewart, and how to enter the competition visit www.watercressfestival.org
