Many thanks to Wendy for this informative piece about the lack of Island food at the Isle of Wight Festival. Ed
The Farmers’ Market was notable by its absence at Isle of Wight Festival this year.
While there were locally-sourced nibbles for VIPs behind the scenes, as previously reported by VentnorBlog, out front paying Festival-goers encountered plenty of food, but precious little of it Island-based.
Believe me I looked hard, as I was writing a Festival food diary for local food blog Matt and Cat. This was in contrast to last year, when there was a whole array of scrummy local fare to be found.
Why the change?
Former chair of the Isle of Wight Farmers’ Market, Sue Brownrigg, says that Festival organiser John Giddings was initially keen to include them, and they wanted to attend.
“People at the Festival want hot food, so I said we could do some home-made burgers, chicken burgers and so on. But then he emailed and said ‘No can do’.” (At last year’s Festival the Farmers’ Market sold cold food only.)
“The concessions aren’t managed by him personally, and he has to go back in to negotiate. He’s a cool guy, we didn’t fall out or anything,” says Sue. “He’s running a business, we understand that. And if he puts us in a good place he risks upsetting his other concessions.
“People don’t realise that we hardly make money from it. It takes so much organizing. I love doing festivals, but is it worth it to come out with maybe £200 at the end?”
No organics or fruits
It wasn’t just the Farmers’ Market that was missing this year, though.
I didn’t see a single stall serving organic food this year, nor any fruit stalls.
A food trader who had a pitch at the Festival but doesn’t want to be named explains why the niche outlets have fallen by the wayside: “After the first couple of years the Festival was criticised for not having more variety and local food, so they got in Dick Vernon, who’d worked at Glastonbury, to bring in more variety. He had a good relationship with everyone.”
But this year Dick Vernon wasn’t involved, and Central Catering – who describe themselves as “the largest concessionaire company in the UK” and manage the concessions at T in the Park, V, Leeds and Reading festivals, as well as the Isle of Wight – “doubled” the prices.
“That put a lot of people off. I know a lot of people who didn’t take up their offer.”
Restrictions kept favourites away
It meant that only those traders who could make decent margins and be confident of shifting vast amounts of Festival-fodder took the gamble. And it explains why my favourite festival vegetarian cafe, the solar-powered Hurly Burly, didn’t make the trip across the Solent. “We lost money at Isle of Wight Festival last year,” said their spokeswoman. “We weren’t allowed to serve breakfast, which is a big part of our income. And the ferry fare also makes a difference.”
Fortunately they’ll be at Bestival. And hopefully, so will the Farmers’ Market, though Sue Brownrigg thinks they may lose their good spot in the bottom field near the stages to Dorset-based food celeb Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Sue hopes the Farmers’ Market will be back at Isle of Wight Festival in 2011. “I wouldn’t want the Farmers’ Market to be seen as grumbling. We’re not! I went to the Festival myself and I loved it! I was there all weekend and had a great time.
“We eat good food all the time at home. I love to go to the Festival and eat crappy noodles. It’s one weekend a year! But when I got home I cooked a leg of lamb and some potatoes.”
