Rachel Allen cooking demo promises to be one of the highlights of Cork on a Fork festival 

ONE of the highlights of the upcoming Cork on a Fork festival looks set to be a free 100-seat cooking demo marquee that will pop up on Emmet Place all day on Saturday, August 19.

Cooking up a storm in the festival marquee will be celebrity chef Rachel Allen from Ballymaloe Cookery School, zero waste chef Orla McAndrew, William Murray from Currabinny, Pamela Kelly from Farmgate, representatives from the Cork Migrant Centre, and more.

There will also be a fun Rebel County mystery box cook-off competition with restaurants the Glass Curtain, Sage and others, moderated by Irish Examiner food writer Joe McNamee.

The day will also feature a live podcast with McKenna Guides, Michelin chef Takashi Miyazaki from Ichigo Ichie, Michelin-rated chef Aishling Moore from Goldie, and Claire Condon from Good Day Deli.

Meanwhile, the Cork on a Fork festival stage will be housed at the 70-seat Crawford Art Gallery theatre and will feature talks from food experts and local producers.

Among the line-up of events on Friday, August 18 is an interactive presentation entitled ‘The Magic of Milk’ with UCC; ‘Cork Food Culture in Literature, History and Heritage’ with renowned food historian Regina Sexton and more; an insightful chat between Guaranteed Irish and Cork producers, including Ballymaloe Foods, St Patrick’s Distillery, West Cork Eggs Ltd, and West Cork Biscuit.

The day will also feature a Bertha’s Gin talk and tasting, a fascinating insight into supermarket food trends and their impact on health and the planet; and a talk on oysters and Irish culture by the world oyster shucking champion.

Saturday's Line-up

On Saturday, August 19, the festival stage will host family friendly demos, a panel discussion with leading names in Cork food who are not originally from the city; a healthy eating puppet show for primary school kids, tips from Atlantia Clinical Trials on improving mood and brain health through a healthy gut, and what is sure to be a fascinating perspective on Cork food with Cork’s, and Ireland’s, leading food writers.

All the demos in the festival marquee and festival stage are free.

Not only that, but throughout the week, a host of other free demos and talks will take place throughout the city, including the opening symposium ‘Feeding Cork the sustainable and healthy way with Cork Food Policy Forum’, a fun bread and butter-making workshop and other demos at the Butter Museum, and English Market cooking demos.

Cork on a Fork festival was established by Cork City Council in 2022 as a celebration of dining and nightlife in the city and the world-class produce found in the wider Cork region.

The full programme can be found on www.corkonaforkfest.ie or follow @corkonaforkfest for live updates.