Lady’s Guide to the Abergavenny Food Festival in Wales

Today I want to bring you my guide to the Abergavenny Food Festival in Wales. This is one of the best culinary events in the UK in autumn, and it’s worth a special trip to Monmouthshire to attend it.

Abergavenny Food Festival

I always enjoy traveling, but when there’s food involved I love it.

Food festivals are some of my favorite excuses to hop on a plane or train and immerse myself in local culinary culture. Just read my account of my time at the White Truffle Festival in Alba, Italy and you’ll know what I mean.

Which is why I’m excited to spend an autumn weekend in Wales at the annual Abergavenny Food Festival. The festival takes place just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park, so it’s a logical place to visit after a big hike.

I’m here the day after hiking Pen y Fan, the highest peak in south Wales. Given how many calories I burned on my 19-mile walk to the top, I can rationalize even more foodie indulgence than normal. Win.

Abergavenny Food Festival Dates

The Abergavenny Food Festival is held annually on the third weekend in September, and my friends and I head over on the Sunday.

When we arrive, we find ourselves in a market town that would be pretty on a normal day, but is even brighter with all the festivities.

Festival Venues

The Abergavenny Food Festival venues are spread out all over town, with little pockets of merriment everywhere from the castle to the priory. Each area has its own personality, from the family-friendly fortifications to the grown-up Gin Palace.

We start our day at the Priory Centre next to St Mary’s Priory Church. The church is often referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of Wales” due to its size and the number of high-status historic tombs and effigies inside.

The walled courtyard is the perfect place to graze on soft-shell crabs, and the adjacent marquee covers a multitude of sweet sins. I particularly enjoy the cakes at Baked by Mel and handmade marshmallows from Cottage Sweets.

Cooking Demos and Talks

But the real treat is watching the cooking demos and talks. The Abergavenny Food Festival draws famous chefs like Jose Pizarro, who round out the edibles with food for the mind.

My friends and I learn how to cook cod at Valentine Warner’s live stage demo, and afterwards get to catch up with him over a tipple from his gin company, Hepple. He’s a childhood classmate of my friends’, and it’s nice to have a personal connection to the festival.

Abergavenny Food Festival Highlights

But there’s more of the Abergavenny Food Festival to see, so we down our gin and head into the Market Hall. Giant paper owls hang from the Victorian ceiling, which itself is painted like the sky.

Underneath we find a range of producers offering samples of everything from cheese (yes, please) to chutney.

Just outside is the Brewery Yard, a meat lover’s paradise. We walk by colorful coffee carts and striped awnings as the scent of barbecue fills the air.

From there we meander down the bustling high street, stopping as we go to sample hot sauce from Peperoncino and smile at onions being sold from a bicycle.

The Castle

At the end we find ourselves at the castle. This area is mainly for families, but our inner children want to play.

The castle walls provide the perfect backdrop for live music and grilled cheese trucks, and we wander around until the sun goes down.

Abergavenny Food Festival in Wales

Closing time comes sooner than we think, and we still haven’t made it to all the venues. But it’s been an amazing day, and now I have a reason to return to the Abergavenny Food Festival next year (and I do!).

My boyfriend and I hop on a train back to London, but we leave our stomachs in Wales.

Have you traveled to a food festival? How was it?

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