Sandringham Food, Craft & Wood Fair
Bank Holiday Weekend 29th April - 1st May
Over the Early May Bank Holiday on 29th April to 1st May, the magnificent Sandringham Estate will play host to the Food, Craft & Wood festival. New for 2023, this spectacular show amalgamates the Food & Drink festival with the Craft & Wood fayre to create an exciting new event, which really does offer something for everyone!
In the woodworking area artisans from King’s Lynn Woodturners will be demonstrating their varied crafts, including traditional stick making, corn dollies for good luck, the art of coopering casks and barrels and willow basketry. A chance to not only see these authentic skills in action but to purchase a little piece of history, these products use entirely sustainable materials and often far outlast their modern counterparts.
For those seeking woodwork on an industrial scale there will be a display of mechanised sawing through the ages. Starting with the Victorian static saw bench, powered by steam traction engine, the display then moves on to the Rack Saw, a bench on rollers which is capable of processing whole tree trunks. The next development was the invention of the Wade Dragsaw. The example on display dates from 1923 and will be cutting circular disks of wood 3ft in diameter, perfect for making a unique tabletop. A little more modern, the Alaskan Wood Mill is designed to be operated by just two people and can cut logs into lumber construction and furniture manufacture. Lastly, the industry-leading company Wood-Mizer UK will be demonstrating a Mobile LT20 sawmill. This modern machine is capable of cutting logs up to 80cm in diameter and 6.1m long with ease!
The event will also see the English Open Chainsaw Competition which will challenge around 20 of the most talented carvers from around the world. 2023 will see the return of Mike Ayers from the USA, who last competed in the UK at the Sandringham Cup in 2019 with his carving of the Gladiator. Contestants will each carve a sculpture during the show, with the judging and prize giving taking place on the final day.
Norfolk is a county famous for its artisans and the festival will display a large selection of skills and crafts. A visit to the blacksmiths tent, courtesy of Stokes of England, will allow visitors to see this most traditional of English crafts up close, with live demonstrations and even the opportunity to have a go. An altogether more delicate form of metalworking, silversmith Victoria Baxter will be displaying her intricate silver jewellery. Perfect as an unusual gift for someone special or as a memento of the day.
Among the craft marquees will be an array of knitwear, hats and country clothing. There truly will be something to suit every taste, and each piece will have a story to tell.
The second half of this splendid event will be dedicated to all things food & drink! An extended food market will be offering a selection of fine foods, wines and spirits from local and national producers and retailers. An array of celebrity chefs will be working in the cookery kitchen, displaying their skills and giving advice to attendees.
Saturday will see cooking from Cyrus Todiwala OBE, a boundary-breaking professional who's always at the forefront of food innovation and Jack Stein, star of ‘Wine, Dine and Stein’, ‘Jack Stein: Born to Cook’, ‘Inside the Box’ and ‘Cooking with the Stars’.
On Sunday Paul Young and Galton Blackiston will take to the stage. Paul Young is an inspirational chocolatier at the very forefront of the British chocolate scene. A television regular, he has appeared on This Morning, The Apprentice, Junior Masterchef and in the USA on The Nate Berkus Show and The Today Show. Galton Blackiston’s career as taken him to New York, Canada, South Africa and London. His restaurant, Morston Hall, has been named in the top 100 restaurants in the UK and has held a prestigious Michelin Star accolade for 18 years - accompanied by four AA Red Stars and four AA Rosettes. Galton has appeared on Anglia Television, Market Kitchen, Great British Menu and regularly appears on BBC Saturday Kitchen with James Martin.
A large food marquee will hold stands from an extensive selection of traders, including delicious cheese from The Great British Cheese Company, gluten free and dairy free bakery treats from Kind Food, award winning pork from Grasmere Farm, professional standard knives from Flint and Flame, Greek and Turkish cuisine from Kotinos Foods and handmade spirits from O’Donnell Moonshine.
With an action-packed weekend to look forward to, there is something for the whole family at the Sandringham Food, Craft and Wood Festival. With fairground rides and have-a-go crafts for the children as well as a mixture of traditional skills, exciting craftmanship, live cookery and quality food & drink waiting to be discovered by the adults, this is an event not to miss. Dogs are welcome on a lead and parking is plentiful and free... set the date in the diary!