Stone Food & Drink Festival’s ever-popular Little Foodies Zone will offer some exciting new food & drink fun for families this year. Youngsters will get the chance to create their very own ‘mega-milkshakes’ from fresh milk that has travelled just a couple of miles from the farm.
Local farmer Tom Smith, who sells his dairy herd’s milk direct to the public from Smith’s Milk Churn on his farm at Yarlet, has joined forces with Oulton First School PTFA – whose volunteers will be manning the stall – and is donating gallons of milk over the big weekend. PTFA volunteers will guide families through the process of creating their own delicious milky creations for £3.00pp, with all proceeds going direct to the school’s fundraising efforts. Kids will also get the chance to decorate cookies and take part in competitions being run by the PTFA team.
There will also be the chance to have a go at milking a ‘cow’ thanks to the NFU’s model cow, which will sit alongside the milkshake tent; helping children learn where their milk comes from. Farmer Tom says:
“It’s important to support the local community, especially schools. A big part of what I want to do is help educate not only the children of today – our customers of the future – but their parents about where their food comes from, and the difference in quality of food and environmental impact in the production of the food. Local and sustainable has to be the way forward, and for me it would be great if such events help encourage more youngsters into agriculture and food production as agriculture is hi-tech and full of great opportunities.”
Other treats in store for families at the event include free circus skills workshops, Punch & Judy shows and Big Top performances courtesy of Panic Family Circus, plus pay as you go funfair rides and face painting from Lisa Fairy of the Three Fairies.
Festival chairman, Richard Stevens, says: “The Little Foodies Zone is always a real hive of activity and this year we ae delighted to welcome the volunteers from Oulton First School PTFA and their fantastic milkshake stall. We’re sure families will have lots of fun creating their milkshakes and it’s great to see a good local cause raising funds along the way. We’re hugely grateful to Tom for his kind donation of the milk, which will ensure more of the cash raised will go direct to the school’s coffers and it’s brilliant to see milk with so few food miles being used.”
The 2021 Stone Food & Drink Festival takes place on Friday 1, Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 October. Admission is £10pp on the gate with accompanied under 16s getting in free. Little Foodies Zone activities will take place all day on festival Saturday and Sunday.
For more information on the event, and to book discounted tickets online, head to stonefooddrink.org.uk.
Smith’s Milk Churn, at Holding 33 in Yarlet is open daily from 7am – 7pm selling farm-fresh milk from the family’s dairy herd.
