A FIRM favourite in the foodie calendar, the Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival is back for 2025 with a host of tasty treats to tempt festival goers across the Bank Holiday Weekend.
As always, there is guaranteed to be something to suit all diets, ages and interests – moreish meats, vegan varieties, curries, cheeses, chutneys; scrumptious ciders, great gins, sweet treats and so much more.
Alongside the regular favourites that festival goers love to see, we’re being promised plenty of new and exciting additions, including Cwtch and Crumb with their mouthwatering brownies and blondies and a tantalising taste of Egypt, courtesy of the Three Gizas and their fresh and flavoursome signature Koshari bowls.
The Old Hall Gardens will be buzzing with family-friendly activities to enjoy and the ever-popular food demos will also be back to add extra entertainment; this year in the Town Hall on High Street and taking place on the hour from 11am to 3pm each day.
A huge hit last year, the Vale Food Trail is once again set to launch at the festival, offering a whole programme of fun family activities hosted by Food Vale – the local food partnership for the Vale of Glamorgan – bringing even more to the bustling Old Hall Gardens.
In a perfect fit, Hensol Castle Distillery returns to sponsor the festival, adding a tonic with some of the distillery’s award-winning gins and spicing things up with the increasingly in-demand Hensol Castle Spiced Rum now available to try and buy.
As well as the Park and Ride bus service from Forage Farm, Cowbridge Comprehensive School will this year offer a ‘Park and Walk’ for those happy to enjoy a lovely leisurely short stroll into town.
Festival Manager Tracy James-Lieberman said: “We’re gearing up for another great one this year, again combining our old favourites that festival goers love to come and see with lots of new faces and added entertainment.
“As well as the main Arthur John site, with the Old Hall Gardens and food demos at the Town Hall we’ll be across three busy sites which is fantastic.
“There’ll be such a variety of amazing produce available to sample, buy and just generally enjoy and so many other things going on to make it the perfect way to spend the Bank Holiday; we look forward to welcoming everyone!”
Event details:
Sunday: Arthur John site 9.30am to 6pm / Old Hall Gardens 9.30am to 5pm.
Monday: Both sites 9.30am to 5pm.
Tickets: Day pass – £5. Children under 11 are free. Tickets are available online in advance or on the day at the festival’s Arthur John Car Park site.
For online tickets, go to here.
Free park and ride from Forage Farm / park and walk from Cowbridge Comprehensive School.
For festival information, go to here.
Food and Drink Festival facts
Hensol Castle Distillery sponsors festival
AS THE Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival returns across this weekend, South Wales’ leading distillery is back on board as sponsor, adding a little ‘spice’ to this year’s event.
Hensol Castle Distillery – South Wales’ only full-scale spirit distillery, visitor experience, gin school and bottling plant in a 17th Century castle – will for the fourth year play a key role, introducing festival goers to even more of its hugely popular product range.
As well as festival favourites, including the renowned Hensol Castle Dry Gin and last year’s World Gin Awards Wales flavoured winner ‘Wild Strawberry and Hibiscus’, visitors can look forward to spicing things up with a taste of the more recently introduced Hensol Castle Spiced Rum – alongside a fantastic first for 2025 with Hensol Castle Vodka and Hensol Castle X Cardiff City FC 1899, both making their debut appearance.
Both vodkas – the latter being a special limited edition in celebration of Cardiff City’s 125th anniversary – are blended at the castle using water sourced straight from the Brecon Beacons.
Speaking about the distillery’s involvement with this year’s festival, managing director Chris Leeke said: “The Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival is a perfect fit for us and with so many exciting new things to shout about since we were here last year, it’s a great platform to showcase our increasing range.
“The Spiced Rum has been proving such a hit, which is fantastic and the whole ‘making experience’ at the castle fits so well alongside the other tours; it’s lovely to welcome visitors to really see and experience it for themselves.
“Our vodka range will be a first for Cowbridge this year so we’re really looking forward to bringing something new to festival goers and hearing their feedback.”
Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival manager, Tracy James-Lieberman added: “It’s fantastic that Hensol Castle Distillery has chosen to join us again this year – our festival goers are in for a real treat. We’re really looking forward to having the team on site; we already love the gin and rum ranges so to have something brand new to try with the vodka is just great – we’ll be first in the queue!”
For more information, visit Hensolcastledistillery.com
Blood Bikes Wales are welcomed back
FOLLOWING a fabulous first festival appearance last year, the team from Blood Bikes Wales will once again ride into this year’s Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival, giving festival goers a chance to learn more about the vital role this fantastic charity plays in relieving pressure on our overstretched National Health Service.
Blood Bikes Wales volunteers provide a completely free courier service for the NHS in Wales, relying solely on volunteers to deliver essential blood supplies and samples, plasma, donor milk for specialist baby units and medication between the various hospitals.
Blood Bikes will be based at the Old Hall Gardens site which will be buzzing with family-friendly activities to enjoy.
As well as one of the team’s own bikes on display, the latest addition to the Blood Bikes family will also be on site – ‘Betsie’ the bike is a super cute children’s version, perfect for family fun and photos!
Charity volunteers will be on hand to chat to visitors and raise awareness about the hugely important work being done to support the NHS. The charity estimates that with every pound donated to Blood Bikes Wales, the NHS actually saves £5, which can be invested into frontline care.
Speaking about their return to the Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival, Blood Bikes Wales trustee Mark Snatchfold said: “We’re an enthusiastic group of people based all over Wales and are keen to make a difference. Most of us are riders but we rely just as much on our non-rider volunteers for support and fundraising.
“It’s great to be part of the festival again this year and have this platform to speak to new people about what we do – it’s surprising how many aren’t aware of the charity and especially that we are all volunteers.”
Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival manager Tracy James-Lieberman said she was delighted to welcome back the Blood Bikes team: “I have to be honest that until last year I wasn’t very aware of the tireless work these guys are doing myself and it was just so great to have the team on site and learn so much more first hand.
“We can’t wait to welcome them to the festival again and, of course to meet Betsie the Bike!”
Learn more about Blood Bikes Wales by visiting here.
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