Press release -

Alderney Food & Drink Festival 2017

THE cream of Alderney’s local food and drink will be taking centre stage at the Island’s Food & Drink Festival this month.

Dozens of food and drink events and offers will be served up as part of the 11-day extravaganza and Alderney’s fabulous beef, pork, seafood and creamy dairy dishes are the main event.

So what makes Alderney’s local produce so special?

You only need to drink in Alderney’s unspoiled scenery to find out.

Along the south cliffs, Kiln Farm’s pretty herd of cattle graze contentedly in sunshine on the sea cliffs, while next to the tracks leading to Alderney’s gannet colony, you see the free range rare breed pigs living the good life on the Blaye. Then there’s sweet and juicy crab and lobsters plucked fresh from the blue, clear waters of Braye Bay.

It’s easy to see why residents insist on home grown when they eat out.

Kiln Farm beef, Alderney Free Range Pigs, local fish and seafood and the Island’s famously rich cream and butter – immortalised in a poem by AA Milne titled The King’s Breakfast – feature in a spread of meals and theme evenings at the Island’s pubs, restaurants and hotels. Festival highlights range from outstanding afternoon teas in the walled garden of cosy St Anne’s Guesthouse and to al fresco lunches and people watching at Jack’s Brasserie to fine dining at the beachside Braye Beach Hotel.

Tuck into specials such as Kiln Farm Steak Night, a Crab & Lobster weekend or an evening devoted to succulent Fruits de le Mer.

With the emphasis on keeping the food miles to a minimum, the festival will also showcase locally produced drinks from the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

The festival will include Beer Festival & Gin Tasting evening with Luke Wheadon, owner of Wheadon’s Gin in Guernsey.

Helene Turner, Director of Tourism, said the Food and Drink Festival was the ideal opportunity to sample what Alderney had to offer.

“The Alderney Food Festival is a fantastic opportunity to explore Alderney and taste some of the best home-grown produce that the British Isles have to offer. The Island is just small enough to walk or cycle to all the various pubs and restaurants on offer. You can discover our stunning scenery, learn a bit about our fascinating heritage and make new friends along the way. What are you waiting for?”

Travel Information

There are four flights per day to Alderney from Southampton on Aurigny (www.aurigny.com) and you can connect to Alderney from airports in Bristol, East Midlands, Leeds, Manchester, Norwich and London Gatwick via Guernsey, also with Aurigny.

Travel by boat from St Peter Port in Guernsey to Alderney every Friday and Sunday (1hr 20mins). www.bumblebee.gg

To find out more about holidays in Alderney go to www.alderneyholidays.com

Related links

Topics

  • Adventures

Categories

  • festival
  • drink
  • food
  • island

Regions

  • Dorset

Just a stone’s throw from the south coast of England lies the treasured island of Alderney. A hidden gem with beautiful beaches, rich heritage, wildlife and scenery waiting to be discovered. Kick back and relax to enjoy the slower pace of life or get out to explore and take in the fresh sea air. However you choose to spend your time in Alderney you’ll soon realise just how easy it is to fall in love with this small island.

Alderney is the closest of all the Channel Islands to the UK, it is in easy reach. The island is just 3½ miles by 1½ miles at its widest point, one of the best ways of seeing this small island is on foot. Alderney boasts over 50 miles of winding lines and country paths covering every part of the island from the main town through to the commons and rugged coastline. On your walks around the island you’ll find fascinating historical sites, including Roman, Napoleonic and German architecture and in some cases all to be found on one site. A visit to the award winning museum is a must to find out more and the many layers of history on Alderney.

The peaceful island provides a perfect environment for stunning wildlife, from huge seabird colonies to hundreds of different wildflowers and moths, some special mammals, and incredible marine habitats. The lanes are exceptionally quiet, with very little traffic beyond the town, and the highest speed limit just 35mph. After night fall take in the clear night sky and enjoy the benefits of no light pollution and Alderney’s unspoilt natural environment.

Add in welcoming hotels, guesthouses and restaurants and you see why Alderney is the Channel Island’s hidden gem, worth going the extra mile to visit. 

Alderney Factfile

Alderney is the third largest Channel Island and part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It lies just seven miles off the coast of Normandy.

Just eight square kilometres in size, it is home to around 2,000 residents and the iconic blond hedgehog.

Around two per cent of the world’s gannet population choose Alderney as their breeding spot of choice every year, on two rocks just off the coast. The Island is also a hit with puffins and seals, who summer on nearby Burhou.

Alderney’s heritage is arguably the richest in the Channel Islands, and is layered with Roman, Napoleonic and German fortifications. It boasts the UK’s best preserved Roman fortlet – the only standing Roman building in the Channel Islands.

It also boasts the Channel Islands only train. The tracks were originally laid to transport granite from a quarry to the magnificent Victorian Breakwater – now a charming Underground Tube train trundles along the tracks, transporting visitors from Braye to the Island’s iconic striped Lighthouse, also open to visitors. 

Contacts

Helene Turner

Press contact Director of Tourism Tourism & Marketing 01481 822300