Which Festival Foodie Are You?
The food festival season is in full swing and we think you’ll recognise some of these familiar characters…
People-watching is an activity we all love to partake in, and food festivals are one the best places for sitting back with a real ale or glass of Pimm’s and watching the crowds walk by. Even though food festivals draw in people from all walks of life there a few characters that you’re guaranteed to run into. Once you’ve sought out the celebs and filled your belly, take a look around and see if you can spot some of these archetypal festival foodies. Maybe you’re one of them!
The Earnest Foodie
The Earnest Foodie wants to absorb every minute of every food festival, approaching their visit in military operation fashion. The Earnest Foodie loves celebrity chef spotting, fancies him/herself something of a food guru, and is dedicated to hoarding recipes, collecting tips and purchasing as much local produce as possible. Found at the front of cookery demos, they are the first person to put their hand up to ask a question or volunteer. Carrying a floral folder for note making, the Earnest Foodies is always immaculately presented, just in case a photo opportunity with one of those aforementioned celebrity chefs should arise.
Watch out for the Earnest Foodie at:
The Urban Hippie
Rocking the bed-head chic, the urban hippie is all about upcycling, bold prints, and showcasing their self-taught knitting skills. Head bobbing along to the music; this easy-going festival-goer has forgone a stall map in favour of simply wandering wherever their feet take them, willing to try all of the free samples that cross their path, no matter how strange or exotic the morsel. They’re not actually 100 percent certain of which event they’re actually at – all they know is they’re having a good time.
The Urban Hippie is guaranteed to be at:
Eat Drink
The Food Blogger
The Food Blogger is always on the lookout for the latest foodie trends and good photo opportunities. You’ll spot them where the crowds are, making friends with stallholders, taking multiple snaps of cupcakes, latté art and macarons to upload to Instagram. They might seem like they are relaxing in the afternoon, sitting back with a spot of Pimm’s but wait… what’s that? They are actually still hard at work scheduling tweets and archiving photos. The Food Blogger is not greedy, you understand, all that food they’re stacking up on is for blogging purposes – of course.
Tweets galore will pour from the Food Blogger at:
BBC Good Food Show London
Manchester Food and Drink Festival
The Bearded Meat & Beer Guzzler
This festival goer is oft seen at beer and cider festivals, close to the sausage stall, identified by heavy metal t-shirt and large beard adorned with sausage sauce. Big boned, scruffy and a little smelly (he does shower every day, but sweats profusely), this festival-goer is easier than most to spot in a crowd. Always hungry, the Meat & Beer Guzzler is most often found covered in Texan barbecue sauce with a yielding a plus-sized meaty treat in one hand and a pint of dark real ale in the other. He may look like he should be out on the road with the rest of Britain’s Hell’s Angels, but if you give him a chance you’ll discover a big friendly giant smiling back at you beneath his big bristly beard.
The Bearded, Meat & Beer Guzzler is in his element at:
The Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival
Jimmy’s Farm Sausage & Beer Festival
The Great British Beer Festival
The Vintage Foodie
The Vintage Foodie is pretty easy to spot. Unable to resist the charm of dainty china teacups and strings of lovely bunting, they’re most likely to be spotted hanging out in the vintage tent. Usually (but not exclusively) female, their attire is strongly influenced by 50s fashion – think kooky floral attire, inappropriate footwear (probably high heels) and perhaps a hair bow. They tend to like pretty things, and that’s no different when it comes to food – you may very well find them swooning over beautiful baked goods, especially colourful cupcakes.
Tea tents and crockery await the Vintage Foodie at:
Brighton & Hove Autumn Festival
The City ‘Farmer’
Fresh from the agricultural haven of inner-London, the City Farmer heads to food festivals to gather tips and to plan on how best to cook with the chilli they’re growing on their windowsill. They’re fully prepared for it, too, sporting a Barbour jacket and Hunter wellies to brave the challenging terrain of the Birmingham NEC. In the event that they visit an outdoor food festival, an enormous Land Rover is the only thing that can get them there in one piece, and the family Labrador – possibly named something like Augustus – will certainly be in tow.
Pull on your Hunters at spot the City ‘Farmer’ at:
Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival
The Domestic Goddess
Enter the house-wife attempting domestic goddess status. You are sure to hear her before you see her, and when you do see her she’ll be under a cloud of big hair, glass of Prosecco in hand and swinging a medley of artisan bags in the crook of her elbow. Having once been a party girl, she’s swapped that for country living and bringing up the kids, but still revels in social gatherings where she can let her hair down; “daarling, how do like my heeled wellies?”
Cooee darling, the Domestic Goddess is here:
The Freebie Hunter
The Freebie Hunter has a single-minded focus on getting as much as they can from the cost of their ticket. They’re the ones studiously trying every single type of oil and vinegar before moving on to the jams and chutneys with absolutely no intention of buying. They’ve perfected the art of maintaining maximum distance from the stallholder whilst still being within an arm’s reach of the samples, and are likely to march away from stalls charging for samples in a rage.
Find the Freebie Hunter at:
The Health Conscious Foodie
If you catch a soft coconut fragrance on air, chances air you’re close to a Health Conscious Foodie. The Health Conscious Foodie wafts through the crowds, calmly and serenely heading for the juice bars, educational talks and fresh produce. People unconsciously part way to let these radiant beings past, which is how the Health Conscious foodie can make their way to front on all occasions without causing disturbance. They snack carefully and with consideration and use their wide shiny eyes to seek out the next best superfood.
Festivals you will find the Health Conscious Foodie at:
