SOMERSET FOOD TRAIL
THE SOMERSET FOOD TRAIL FESTIVAL RETURNS!
SAVE THE DATES: FRIDAY JULY 18 ~ SUNDAY JULY 27, 2025
The Somerset Food Trail Festival celebrates the best, most sustainably produced local food. After a break last year, we're delighted to announce that farmers, growers and food producers will be opening their doors to the public once again over a 10-day period from Friday July 19 to Sunday 27. Mark the dates in your diary and get ready to discover our more nature-friendly farmers and artisan producers, and the farm shops, restaurants and pubs that support them!
THE FULL 2025 FESTIVAL LINE UP GOES LIVE ON JUNE 15
... BUT HERE'S A SNEAK PREVIEW OF SOME OF THE ORGANISATIONS SIGNING UP!
We are currently accepting applications from food, farming and growing enterprises to take part in this year's Food Trail Festival – and we're getting very excited about what we're seeing as they come in! We'll go live with the full line-up on June 15, but in the meantime, whet your appetite with our sneak preview of some of the organisations taking part (below). And if you are a food, farming or growing enterprise and would like to take part in this year's Food Trail, please click the button to find out what is involved and a link to the application form.
THE FULL LINE-UP GOES LIVE ON JUNE 15!
Many events on the Food Trail are free, but a few special events, such as the feasts, require you to buy tickets in advance. Participating pubs and restaurants celebrate local food with a special menu or tasting event. If in doubt, check with the venue before setting out.
NATURE-FRIENDLY FOOD
LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE, DELICIOUS!
The Somerset Food Trail Festival celebrates the best, most sustainably produced local food. It's the first of its kind: a countywide event focused specifically on our more nature-friendly farmers and artisan producers – the local food heroes who are leading the transition to a new era of regenerative, agroecological farming, to cut emissions, restore wildlife and produce better, tastier, more nourishing food.
Take a look at the 2023 Somerset Food Trail Festival for an idea of the kinds of events and activities involved.
Thirty Mile Feast, Shatwell Farm
Photo by Matilda Temperley
A FARM-TO-FORK SHOWCASE
Based on the 'open studios' model of arts trails, the Somerset Food Trail Festival sees farmers, growers and food producers open their doors to the public at set times in July.
From biodynamic vineyards to community-funded food forests; aquaponic market gardens to milk-based vodka distillers; fermenters, foragers, smokeries, goat herders, bakeries: you name it, it’s here. And that’s before you get started on the cider and the cheese!
This is a chance to get out and explore some of the country's most beautiful and bountiful landscapes: a feast for the senses!
NAVIGATING THE FOOD TRAIL
HOW THE FOOD TRAIL WORKS
There is not one ‘Somerset Food Trail’. You choose the route yourself based on what catches your eye or whets your appetite. A good starting point is our interactive map, which will be back online once we've got all the entries for the 2025 Food Trail. This will give you an overview of what's on, where.
We've divided the Trail into clusters, or areas, to make it easier to navigate. You don’t, of course, have to confine yourself to one area, although each area will offer plenty to see and do.
Venues open for set times during the festival, and opening times vary, so check out the venue listing and their website before heading out. The Food Trail Festival is mostly free for visitors, although some events have a modest fee, and there will be a charge for feasts, of course.
Our aim is to showcase the range and richness of Somerset’s sustainable food and scene, while highlighting the crucial role we can all play in creating a shift to more nature-friendly farming through our everyday food choices.
INTRODUCING
THE THIRTY MILE FEAST!
'Feasts and tastings' are a central part of the Somerset Food Trail Festival as we celebrate the farms, landscapes, people and places behind Somerset’s most nature-friendly food and drink.
Last time, we introduced the 'Thirty Mile Feast Challenge' where most of the ingredients must be sourced from a 30-mile radius. It was a huge success with nearly 40 venues taking up the challenge.
The Thirty Mile Feast will return in 2025 – and this year, we hope that more venues will take up the idea of a feast. It doesn't have to be fancy – a picnic in a field for families using delicious locally grown ingredients is also a feast.
APPLYING TO TAKE PART IN THE FOOD TRAIL
INFORMATION FOR VENUES
Applications have now opened for food and farming enterprises and other participating venues that would like to take part in this year's Food Trail. You can find the application form here. Register by June 1 to be sure of your place on the Food Trail.
We also have a host of information to help you plan your event, including health & safety advice, risk assessment forms etc. Click below to access the application form and other resources for Trail venues.
"Somerset is an amazing, beautiful county, producing food that’s recognised around the world. I’m delighted to support the Somerset Food Trail as a way of encouraging people to ‘buy local’, find out more about how food is made, and learn what farmers are doing to protect and care for the environment.”
MICHAEL EAVIS,
Dairy farmer and founder of Glastonbury Festival
