Festival Highlights
Festival Sponsor
Festival Details
28th October 10-4pm
Fenton Town Hall, Albert Square, Stoke-On-Trent, ST4 3AF
Cafe with refreshments
Stalls and Entertainment
in the Ballroom
Workshop Space
Festival Timetable
Talk and Book Signing
Talk and Book Signing With James Read
Of Cabbages and Kimchi
Beautifully illustrated by Marija Tiurina
Buy This Amazing Book Signed By James at the Festival
Entertainment and Activities
Entertainment by Samantha Lloyd
We are really pleased to introduce Sam, a local artist from Stoke-on-Trent. Sam writes her own music and loves to sing, so as we love her music, we look forward to her playing at the ferment festival for you!
Join Martyn Richards for an informative, interactive, and family-friendly workshop where we will engage in the hands-on creation of EM mudballs, a powerful tool for waterway purification and soil enhancement. This is an excellent opportunity for children to learn about environmental stewardship and actively participate in a fun and educational activity that benefits both nature and agriculture.
Watch the informative video below to find out more about mud balls and how they do their job.
Morris Dancing by Domesday Morris
We are so lucky to be entertained by this local Penkhull group in the Border Morris tradition.
Stalls
We are delighted to have Jackie Bailey from Umami Chef bringing her award winning products to the festival.
Umami Chef is a UK based food manufacturer that specialises in koji. We also use koji to make a range of fermented products for both consumers and businesses. Everything is naturally fermented, with no preservatives, other than the finest Droitwich Salt.
Kimchi and kraut are on their way to plates in Stoke we can’t wait, yummy!
Funky Ferments is a new start-up run by Ellis Akhurst a fermenter based in Manchester City centre. They specialise in small-batch ferments including their delicious vegan kimchi & a range of tasty ‘krauts.
We are excited to have Nina bringing her sourdough starters, sourdough chocolate brownies (Yes, you read that right! yum!) Nina has an ebook you can buy, and runs workshops in Cheshire and will be running some demos for us! Breaking bread together using old traditions to cultivate community. Bringing sourdough to your home
Brendan from Mycosia is going to be selling all things mushrooms including kits.
He will share the love of cultivating mushrooms in a talk and demo in the main ball room. If you’d like to create a mini grow kit, you are welcome to head over to Brendan at his stall after!
We are delighted to have Mark from The Staffordshire Oatcake Company bringing Oatcakes you can make at home!
The oatcake is a local speciality in the North Staffordshire area of England, specifically Stoke-on-Trent (The Potteries). Commonly referred to as Staffordshire oatcakes by non-locals, because they were made in and around Staffordshire and Cheshire; locally they are simply called “oatcakes”. Traditionally oatcakes were cooked on a hot plate over an open fire. Sometimes sold from the front windows of terraced houses, ‘The Hole in the Wall’ being one such vendor.
Drop City Books are with us! They will bring a range of books to get you thinking and fermenting!
Just so you know Ruth is just opening this gorgeous Indie book shop in Hanley! Their opening is 7th Oct, she has some awesome events set up. Please support this business! So exciting!
Laid Bear are based in Manchester City centre offering award winning, small batch kombucha. Pleasantly effervescent, 100% natural flavours, fuelled by Bear hugs.
So delighted Martin is bringing Bokashi composting kits, giving a talk on the importance of fermentation in composting. Martin is running an all day activity to create clay balls containing good bacteria that will clean water!
We are delighted to have Eleanor from BrushnBrew with us. She is an illustrator specialising in mixed media work that combines a mix of colourful watercolour, fun textures and digital painting
Eleanor will be selling prints, greeting cards (including festive designs) & merchandise, as well as being available to talk about commissions and book illustrations.
We are delighted to have Titanic Brewery who have proudly shipped from The Potteries since 1985. A family-owned business committed to brewing the finest beers for the people of Staffordshire and beyond. From pale ales to stouts, there is a beer to suit all tastes in Titanic’s fleet, but it is perhaps their multi-award winning Plum Porter for which they are most well-known.
We will be selling products on behalf of:
We will be selling products on behalf of:
We have brought in some awesome Fermenters Guild products for you.
Paid Workshops
We are delighted that the jars have been supplied by Kilner.
Plant Based Yoghurt
Time: 10am – 11am
Annie Simpkins is a very knowledgeable and experienced fermenter @fervereuk and will be sharing her wisdom for creating plant based yoghurt! We are over the moon for this!
In this demonstration you will learn how to make your own yoghurt from your favourite plant milk whether it is boxed or homemade. You can find out all the tips and tricks for making thick, creamy, and tangy plant based yoghurt at home, saving money, and reducing your use of plastic.
You will receive a jar of plant based yoghurt to use at home which you can use for your own vegan starter culture. There will be a selection of plant based yoghurts, made from various plant milks, for you to sample.
Sauerkraut
Time: 11:45am – 12:45pm
This is with our awesome fermenter and forager Rob Gould @cotswoldforager forager. We are delighted as Rob is a great fermenter and experimentalist. Looking forward to this!
In this hands on workshop you have the chance to create your own lacto fermented veg, sauerkraut to take away with you. You’ll learn how to create the safest form of food preservation there is and go away confident to create again. Sauerkraut and fermented veg are tasty, tangy ferments you can put your own twist on to with all sorts of veg, herbs and spices! We will have tasters for you to try to inspire you!
Kombucha
Time: 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Please come and join the wonderful Jules, CCO, The Fermenters Guild and Owner of The Plucky Pickle who is based in Manchester at Wild Pickle Ferment Festival for a kombucha Fermentation Masterclass.
Jules will be delving into the wonders of fermentation, including a brief history behind Kombucha brewing, plus methods, techniques and teas for making the best Booch. You will brew your own Kombucha to take home with you to ferment and you’ll leave bubbling with inspiration to make more.
Miso
Time: 3pm – 4pm
We are so lucky to have Robin Sherriff The Koji Kitchen teaching a miso workshop at the ferment festival!
Miso is that tasty tasty bean paste that turns into lovely soup and is making everyone on Masterchef lose their minds! The thing is though, it’s been around forever.
There are innumerable homemade miso recipes in Japan, changing from family to family and town to town. Like kimchi in Korea or the seeming infinity of grannies’ scones.
Some misos are light in colour, some dark, others deep and complex. Some are chunky, some are smooth, some use barley, some use fava beans, others with lentils, peas and aubergine. Basically, miso is a pretty expansive topic.
One of the wonderful benefits of making your own miso is that the liquid byproduct of the process is tamari – the fantastic gluten free alternative to soy sauce.
In this workshop you’ll get a journey through the wonderful world of miso by tasting different kinds, learning a bit about the fermentation process, learn basic best practises and prepare your own jar of miso.
The cost covers all of the ingredients used and a lovely jar to take your miso home in. You will be well fed too, with a whole range of koji-inspired goodies!
Paid Foraging Walk
Urban Foraging Walk
Time: 10:15am – 11:15am
12pm-1pm
2pm-3pm
Sam from @ForagingForAges will take you on an exciting urban foraging adventure! In just one hour, you’ll explore the lush green areas of the city and be amazed by the abundance of delicious wild food right at your fingertips. No need to travel to the countryside when you can uncover nature’s edible treasures right in your own backyard!
