Sample the food and drink in the atmosphere

The beautiful Fitzgerald Park on Cork's Mardyke will be transformed this 19th - 22nd July into an exceptionalculinary experience as top chefs, restaurants and food & wine specialists from Cork and its environs vie with each other to tempt you with their best and most popular dishes

Forget the gloom, enjoy the very best that Cork and the summer have to offer! Next weekend sees the Irish Examiner Food Festival in full swing at Fitzgerald’s Park – itself the site of the great Cork Exhibition of 1902-03. Following the success of Tastefest last year, every chef, restaurant, food and wine expert will be getting ready to make this new festival bigger, better, and even more fun. From city and county, Ireland and beyond, people will be thronging to the Park, to taste the best of Cork food, see the most amazing culinary skills, and generally enjoy a great day out.

The good news is that tickets will cost less — €12 for general admission, with kids under 12 going free. That makes it the ideal family event. The token system has been dropped, as many found it too complicated, so for taster plates you simply pay as you go. Samples, of course, will be free, and what better way to experience a new food sensation? A special family and children’s area will be very popular with Mum and Dad, especially as it will offer a variety of entertainments, as well as a number of special food-related activities, demonstrations and workshops in which the kids can get involved. It’s never too late to develop those gourmet tastes!

Top restaurateurs and food producers will be showcased in this major event which has been expanded to take in the entire park, with more exhibitors, especially in the artisan food producers section. Leading chefs, including Rachel Allen, Paolo Tullio, Darina Allen, and Andrew Rudd, will give cooking demonstrations. It’s a chance to meet the teams behind some of Cork’s greatest culinary success stories as well as new talent on the food scene. Go for the fun, go to meet friends, but above all, go for the taste sensations! Cork does it best.

Irish Examiner Food Festival, Thur-Sun, July 19-22, Fitzgerald’s Park, Cork. Tickets from Electric Bar and Restaurant, South Mall; Sober Lane, Sullivan’s Quay; the Irish Examiner office, Lapps Quay; and www.irishexaminerfoodfestival.com.Twitter: @CorkFoodFest.