Extraordinary culinary adventures await at Cheltenham Food + Drink Week 2024

Cheltenham may be best known as a prominent Regency Spa town, home to GCHQ and one of the best places to live in the UK, but in addition to its proud reputation as The Festival Town, Cheltenham is fast becoming the unrivalled food capital of the South West. Both locals and visitors alike can experience why during this year’s Cheltenham Food + Drink Week from 16 – 22 September.

Carefully curated by our team and Cheltenham BID and now in its third year, this annual event shines a light on some of the many exceptional food and drink establishments that proudly call Cheltenham their home.

Fran Inman, Chief Executive of Cheltenham BID, said: "We are excited to announce an incredible line up for this year’s Food and Drink week here in Cheltenham that offers something for everyone.

This year's event promises to be a culinary extravaganza, showcasing the best of Cheltenham’s culinary talent and offering unforgettable dining experiences. This is a week that you don’t want to miss!” 

This year’s Cheltenham Food + Drink Week will include an exclusive opening night celebration at the town’s iconic Queens Hotel, an interactive Pub Quiz Crawl, a brand-new Cheltenham Chilli Fiesta in the buzzing Brewery Quarter, as well as daily food and drink workshops, masterclasses, chef collaborations and special menus, enabling locals and visitors to discover Cheltenham’s many epicurean delights.

Opening Cheltenham Food + Drink Week with a bang on Monday 16 September, An Evening with Cheltenham’s Culinary Stars at the Queens Hotel will include a glamorous drinks reception followed by an engaging panel discussion with celebrity chef, restauranteur, author, TV presenter and co-host of Channel 4’s popular Sunday Brunch, Simon Rimmer.

“I am beyond excited to be taking part in Cheltenham Food & Drink Week! The town is well known as a foodie destination and I can’t wait to meet the culinary minds behind so many truly loved local eateries, during the Culinary Stars event. It’s going to be an epic foodie evening.”  Said TV presenter and celebrity chef, Simon Rimmer.

When he’s not putting his expert culinary skills into action on our TV screens (having featured in numerous TV shows, including Channel 4’s Tricks of the Restaurant Trade and BBC Two’s Something for the Weekend, to name just a few), Simon regularly contributes to food magazines, including Delicious, Olive, BBC Good Food Magazine and Vegetarian Living, as well as running 29 restaurants in the UK.

Simon will lead a panel discussion pre-dinner and will be joined by some of Cheltenham’s most renowned local culinary stars, including Simon Diprose, member of The Master Chefs of Great Britain and Head Chef at the prestigious event venue, The Queens Hotel, internationally acclaimed Jon Howe, Chef Patron at Michelin-starred Lumiere, Warren O'Connor and Lawrie Jeffries, Head Chefs at The Jockey Club and Laura Evans, Founder of Cheltenham’s world-leading Sisu Pancakes.

Following Simon in conversation with Cheltenham’s biggest and brightest foodie experts, guests will then enjoy a delicious three-course dinner, designed and created by Simon Diprose.

A limited number of tickets are available for this exclusive event, which is perfect for foodies, and can be booked here. 

Those who enjoy a tipple can discover some of Cheltenham’s best drinking venues from 6pm onwards on Thursday 19 September as Cheltenham Food + Drink Week’s Pub Quiz Crawl hops between charming pubs and trendy bars around the town’s upper high street area. Perfect for groups of friends, this fun, informal evening includes an interactive quiz in which participants can uncover secrets from bar staff whilst enjoying unique beverages.

On Saturday 21 September from 2pm onwards, Cheltenham’s vibrant Brewery Quarter will host it’s very first Cheltenham Chilli Fiesta – promising to be the town’s hottest event of the year! This family-friendly, free event will include an eye-watering chilli eating competition for those with a taste for the hot stuff (there will be a competition for adults as well as a fun eating challenge for youngsters!), plus live music, fun food-themed activities for all ages and an interesting food talk and Q&A session with a chilli expert, from Clifton Chilli Club.

Throughout Cheltenham Food + Drink Week some of the town’s top gastronomic destinations will be hosting special events, masterclasses, chef collaborations, special menus and workshops, for one week only.

Cocktail lovers should head to The Alchemist in The Brewery Quarter, where their in-house mixologists will hold daily cocktail making masterclasses, giving an expert insight into perfecting the perfect tasty tipple.

Or for of lovers Gin, Beer & Whiskey, masterclasses featuring these beverages will be held by in house specialists at Brewhouse & Kitchen.

For a tantalising taste of authentic Korean cuisine, head to Nagomi on Wednesday 18 September and indulge in a five-course Korean set menu with complementary drink pairings (£45 pp), inspired by the most popular Korean movies and TV shows. This is expected to be popular, so reservations are required and can be made via: nagomi.uk

An epic wine pairing challenge between The Lumiere team versus The Grape Escape team will also take place on Wednesday 18 September. Diners will enjoy an exclusive dinner whilst experiencing culinary genius colliding with oenological expertise.

Or diners may opt for a five-course exclusive dinner hosted by Sef Steakhouse with a Macallan Brand Ambassador, to discover more about the different expressions of Macallan whiskeys, finishing with the Macallan 18 year old sherry oak cask.

The exclusive food programme also features an unmissable opportunity to celebrate the changing of the seasons at Purslane Restaurant with Chef/Patron, Gareth Fulford, and a Michelin-starred guest chef, Richard Craven, from The Royal Oak Whatcote. The chefs will craft an exclusive seven-course land & sea tasting menu, created using sustainable caught seafood from British waters, wild meat and foraged ingredients, served with a glass of English sparkling wine on arrival.

On Thursday 19 September, Tailors in Cheltenham’s town centre will launch their brand-new Cooks Club. Each monthly event in this series will consist of a one-hour live cooking demonstration by a talented chef, followed by a delicious two-course lunch, for £20 per person. Each event will have a different theme, and the first will be ‘All Things Fish’. Advanced reservations are required and can be booked via Tailor’s website: tailorscheltenham.co.uk.

More special events will be revealed soon. For the latest up-to-date information, keep an eye on Cheltenham Food + Drink Week and sign up to our free fortnightly newsletter.