Colin Nash Restaurant revealed as headline sponsor of 2025 Highcliffe Food and Arts Festival
THE Colin Nash Restaurant has been announced as the headline sponsor of the ever-popular Highcliffe Food and Arts Festival.
Well-known chef Colin has been involved with the event, which is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary, since it started. It will take place on Saturday and Sunday 14th and 15th June.
“I’ve been working with the festival team for 10 years, and I have always appreciated seeing the local produce showcased at the event and the local community coming together,” said Colin, who opened his restaurant at The Retreat New Forest at Hinton in the summer of 2023.
“It is an honour to be able to support the festival and raise the profile of our beautiful restaurant.”
Colin sources as much local food and drink as he can for his menus, including vegetables from his own allotment and the nearby Sopley farm, game from the Meyrick Estate where it is sited, and fish caught from Mudeford boats.
To demonstrate food provenance, the menu lists Mudeford boat numbers below its local fish dishes.
Colin, who started his career at the iconic Langan’s Brasserie in Mayfair, holds game and fish nights at his restaurant, and uses the adjoining cookery school for workshops.
Over the years, he has also run cookery classes at local schools.
Tina Jaffray, chair of the festival, says: “Colin’s ethos perfectly matches the theme that runs throughout our family-oriented festival, with the majority of our stall holders offering locally produced food and quality artisan products. We are thrilled to be working with Colin and are so grateful for his support.”
She continued: “The festival has become a very popular event for all ages and offers a wide range of stalls. It will once again have 60 curated stalls from the Little Craft Shack, in addition to more than 90 food and drink stalls.
The music stage will offer entertainment from a wide range of performers, and children’s entertainment will include the popular circus skills and a Kids Kitchen.”
Colin, who ran the kitchen at The Three Tuns pub in Bransgore for 16 years and spent a brief period running The Lamb Inn at Winkton, will be appearing in the cookery theatre on both days of the festival, alongside other leading local chefs and some celebrity guests yet to be announced.
The team are also thrilled to have financial support from various organisations, including Highcliffe and Walkford Parish Council, Portman Stone, Highcliffe Residents’ Association, JustBeeSpoke, Dixon Stewart, New Forest Food Festival and Morebus.
The two-day festival, a free-to -enter family friendly event, will run along the high street and on the recreation ground.
Organisers say it is a “huge street party where visitors can sample some fabulous street food, browse gourmet artisan stalls, meet celebrity chefs, and pick up some great tips at cookery demonstrations.”
For regular updates, visit www.highcliffefoodandartsfestival.co.uk
For more information about the Colin Nash Restaurant, go to www.theretreatnewforest.co.uk /colin-nash-restaurant