Melton food festivals to go ahead despite pandemic

Two major food festivals are set to go ahead in Melton despite every other town event being cancelled since the coronavirus lockdown restrictions were imposed in March.
By Nick Rennie
Published 11th Aug 2020, 17:17 BST
The packed concourse at Melton's food festival in 2016 EMN-201108-171323001The packed concourse at Melton's food festival in 2016 EMN-201108-171323001
The packed concourse at Melton's food festival in 2016 EMN-201108-171323001

Residents and tourists have been left disappointed so far this year with the cancelation of the Artisan Cheese Fair, Artisan Cheese Awards, SpiritsFest and PieFest due to the ban on mass gatherings during the ongoing pandemic.

But the organiser of Melton’s East Midlands Food Festival, scheduled for October 3 and 4, and ChocFest, slated for the weekend of November 21 and 22, say they will both take place.

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Matthew O’Callaghan, of the Melton Mowbray Food Partnership, is confident the events will take place at Melton Livestock Market because the government has indicated it will allow such gatherings from October 1.

Melton's food festival pictured in 2016 EMN-201108-171312001Melton's food festival pictured in 2016 EMN-201108-171312001
Melton's food festival pictured in 2016 EMN-201108-171312001

Mr O’Callaghan told the Melton Times : “I’m grateful to the borough council for their advice and help so far.

“We had a site meeting with an officer from the council’s environmental health and licensing department who said that in principle the festivals can go ahead but obviously we need to look at the layout to increase the area the event covers and the numbers that the event can accommodate at any one time.

“We will request visitors to wear facemasks although most of the stands will be what the dovernment deem as ‘outside’.”

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It had also been hoped to run the postponed Artisan Cheese Awards on November 19 at St Mary’s Church but the authorities there are not allowing places of worship to be used for events for now.

So the organisers are looking for an alternative venue for this prestigious event, which attracts entries from across the UK and Ireland.

As well as being a blow to tourism in Melton, the cancellation of local events such as the Artisan Cheese Fair is thought to have cost the organisers a five-figure sum.

Mr O’Callaghan said he was hoping that the council and other partners might share the risk in running the remaining events, which remain under threat of being called off overnight if the government declares a local lockdown as it did in Leicester.

Go online at www.meltonfestivals.co.uk to find out more about the town’s food events.

Related topics:ResidentsMelton