OPEN SUNDAYS & BANK HOLIDAYS • RINGWOOD ROAD, TOTTON • PLAZA PARADE, ROMSEY • THE PRECINCT, CHANDLERS FORD ALL DAY COD & CHIPS £1 OFF On presentation of this advertisement MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY ONLY Not valid with any other offer. Valid until 14th May 2025 24th April 2025 • The HERALD • Page 41 v FOR GOOD ADVICE, ASK YOUR LOCAL SPECIALISTS v FOOD FOR THOUGHT A highlight for many who attend the annual Alresford Watercress Festival are the live cookery demonstrations by both popular local chefs and those with more of a celebrity status. is year’s festival on Sunday 18th May will be no di erent with cookery demos by four outstanding professional chefs. Two of those taking part will be TV favourite, Lesley Waters and cookbook author, food columnist and speaker, Suki Pantal. Lesley Waters is well known for her regular television appearances on Ready Steady Cook, Great Food Live and is Morning but she is also a former Head Tutor of Leith’s School of Food & Wine, author of several Cookery Books, a quali ed Fitness Instructor and a mother of two! Originally a Londoner born and bred, Lesley moved to the West Country where she opened her own Cookery School, realising a long-held dream. She loves to cook with fresh, seasonal ingredients, including, of course, watercress: “Watercress is one of my favourite things!”, she says. “Versatile, full of flavour, texture and nourishment. What more can you ask for!” is will be Lesley’s third Alresford Watercress Festival, and she is back by popular demand as the crowd loves her fun and lively demonstration style. And she loves the festival too, explaining: “The Watercress Festival is truly a wonderful event, full of foodie treats and stands. It’s a great family event that has something for everyone; not to missed!” Suki too is an old hand, having attended the festival in 2024. She is the founder of Suki’s Curries and Spices, is a cookbook author, culinary teacher, food columnist and speaker. She conducts live demonstrations, virtual cookery classes and talks across the UK, sharing her passion for Indian cuisine. Born and raised in New Delhi, Suki specializes in regional Indian recipes, bringing authentic and diverse avours of India to her cooking. She actively showcases her love for regional curries at food festivals, using them as a platform to celebrate and share India’s distinct culinary traditions and the Watercress Festival is no di erent. Suki said: “I love coming to the Watercress Festival because it’s such a fun, lively event! There’s amazing food, fantastic atmosphere, and of course, plenty of fresh watercress everywhere. It’s a great chance to show how watercress can be used in Indian cooking, which surprises a lot of people! Plus, the energy here is just phenomenal - who wouldn’t want to be part of it?” True, watercress might not instantly be associated with Indian cooking, but Suki is keen to demonstrate how it actually suits Indian cuisine perfectly: “Watercress is such a versatile ingredient! It’s fresh, peppery, and adds a great kick to Indian dishes. I love using it in salads, chutneys and south Indian pachadi, daals, yogurt raitas, and curries - it blends so well with spices. It’s super healthy, loaded with nutrients and vitamins, so you get flavour and nutrition in one go. I enjoy experimenting with watercress to create fusion dishes that surprise and delight the audience.” Top Chefs Keen to Return to Alresford Watercress Festival Lesley Waters Suki Pantal Born from the Hampshire Street Food Awards, e Big Eat Festival celebrates the county’s best street food while giving back to the community. Taking place on 24th, 25th (10am-8pm) and 26th May (10am-6pm) at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley (SO31 5RA), the festival is FREE entry and will be opened by special guest, MasterChef UK 2023 champion, Chariya Khattiyot, who will also be trading at the event. As well as tasty street food, from around the world, supplied by local traders there will be live music as well as live entertainment each day. On Monday 26th May there will also be a Fun Dog Show run in partnership with Hamble Hounds, £2 entry per dog, per class with monies raised donated to Canine Partners. All pro ts from e Big Eat are donated to local charities and food banks, with the focus always on bringing the community together around a love for food, not for nancial gain. THE BIG EAT FESTIVAL e Waterside Food Project, part of the New Forest Aquaponics CIC family of projects, host a FREE Community Cook Up every Thursday 3.30pm to 5.30pm at Black eld Baptist Church on Hampton Lane. Surplus food from supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste is collected by volunteers and used to cook tasty meals. Go along for some tasty food and great company, everyone is welcome. e Waterside Food Project aims to reduce food waste across the Waterside and also runs the Community Fridge in Hythe Library. For more information please visit: www.facebook.com/Watersidefoodproject Free Community Cook Ups Marchwood Music Society Present: Marchwood Movie Night Join Marchwood Music Society on Saturday 17th May for an evening packed full of tunes from a range of movies, including James Bond, Pirates of the Caribbean and Gone with the Wind. Featuring performances by: Marchwood Prelude Orchestra conducted by Bernard Chinonso, Saxophonous directed by John Bell, Flutes of the Forest and Marchwood Strings. The concert will take place at Marchwood Village Hall, SO40 4SX, doors open at 6.30pm; the concert will start at 7pm. Tickets are £9 for adults and £2 for accompanied Under 16s, and can be purchased from TicketSource: https://www. ticketsource.co.uk/marchwood-musicsociety/marchwood-movie-night/ or they can be reserved via email: tickets@ marchwoodmusicsociety.com (Tickets booked via TicketSource are subject to a transaction fee.) Each ticket includes refreshments and proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Pancreatic Research Support Fund.
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