Enjoy Tide and Turf Themed Seafood Festival

The beautiful harbour village of Portavogie will host a celebration of delicious local produce as well as the Borough's finest food and drink on Saturday 11 September (12pm-5pm) with the Tide and Turf themed seafood festival.

Running as part of Ards and North Down Borough Council's 'Taste Ards and North Down Autumn Food Festival', your foodie dreams will come true as you savour the seasonal tide and turf produce, with a chance to pick up delicious treats and meet great chefs.  

There will be live cookery demonstrations in the Tide and Turf kitchens from our local Great British Menu competitors and South Eastern Regional College chefs. They will compete to win the coveted 'Great Peninsula Menu' title, and will demonstrate the best way to combine seasonal ingredients with fresh local produce to make some mouth-watering dishes that you can recreate at home.  

Judging the chefs' delicious dishes will be Great British Menu judge, Oliver Peyton, as well as chef Alex Greene, who scored a double win on the show in 2020. It will be a hotly contested affair!  

If you fancy joining in with a foodie-based competition, why not sign-up on the day for the oyster eating competition? Just you, the clock, and six oysters - will you be able to set the fastest time?  

There will also be an artisan food market featuring SERC students so make a point of visiting
Stall 1 - Seafood Street Food Truck (Level 2 TFS Newtownards); Stall 2 – Meat Stall - Level 3 Professional Cookery (DPK Level 2 FDQ Accompaniments Level 3 Meat); Stall 3 – SERC Signature Surf and Turf Burger Stall (Level 3 Professional Cookery)    and  Stall 4 – Beverages & Baked goods Level 2 & 3 Professional Food and Beverage Level 3 Patisserie and Confectionary – providing ‘Travel cakes’  and Level 2 FDQ Professional Chef students will be on rota for support kitchens.

In addition there will be fantastic entertainment with music and lots of fun kids activities, including vintage funfair rides and Punch and Judy shows.  

A free bus service will run from both Bangor and Newtownards to Portavogie during the afternoon. So take the stress out of travel, catch the bus and enjoy a food-filled day out for all the family!  

Autumn Food Festival   Tide and Turf forms part of the wider Taste Ards and North Down Autumn Food Festival that includes weekly markets and delicious foodie experiences. The Festival runs from 4 September to 21 October, with Tide and Turf taking place on Saturday 11 September.   For more information, including a bus timetable, go to visitardsandnorthdown.com.     

All providers will operate with COVID-19 measures in line with current government guidance.

Help us to stop the spread of COVID-19. Regular rapid lateral flow testing is strongly recommended prior to attending this event. For more information, visit ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/lateralflowtests.  

Main photo: Catch of the Day - Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Mark Brooks with Paul Mercer, Deputy Head of School of Hospitality, Management, Tourism and Languages at SERC.