ICM Chairman, Dr Alistair Somerville Ford, is pleased to once again offer his support to the Christchurch Food & Wine Festival, by pledging sponsorship for the event in 2009.

The 2008 edition of the festival finished this week and was a huge success, with thousands of visitors coming to Christchurch over the ten days to enjoy the array of activities and entertainment on offer.

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Pulling in the biggest crowds was the International Food Market, held Saturday 10 May and Sunday 11 May.

Stretching the entire length of Christchurch High Street, the market was packed with visitors of all ages who came from far and wide to sample and buy food and drink from across Europe. A delicious selection of products was on offer, from BBQ-ed meats and flavoured cheeses through to ripe and colourful fruit and vegetables, beers and cider.

Something for everyone

For music lovers, there was plenty to whet the appetite, and crowds were treated to live sets from local jazz bands, as well as a traditional and colourful performance by the Kapahaka group of Maori dancers. Christchurch is twinned with the New Zealand town of the same name, so the Maori chants and dances were the perfect way to add that special bit of Kiwi flavour.

In addition to the food market, visitors had a jam-packed calendar of activities to choose from. Making a return to the show schedule once again was the hugely popular cookery theatre, featuring cookery demonstrations by local and celebrity chefs.

TV chefs Lesley Waters, Nick Nairn and Brian Turner enthused audiences by cooking up a mouth-watering selection of recipes, and with such tasty dishes being created, they were very well received by the crowds.

Other activities on offer included school cookery competitions, spearheaded by the Junior Cooks Competition. This year saw 15-year-old Ayden Lee from Highcliffe School scoop first place for his serving of pork medallions wrapped in pancetta with sautéed potatoes, bean and carrot parcels, in a rich Madeira sauce.

ICM Chairman, Dr Alistair Somerville Ford, was proud to be the main sponsor of the 2008 festival and is looking forward to another successful year in 2009 – the tenth anniversary of the event.

He said: “The food festival goes from strength to strength every year and provides a huge boost to Christchurch’s economy and tourism. You only need to look at the video package made by the team from ICM Communications to see just how popular it has been – the High Street over the weekend of the food market was absolutely packed with visitors, and the food and drink for sale was of the highest standard. It will be an honour to sponsor the event once again in 2009 – long may it continue.”

By Natasha Piscitelli