The best events for food lovers happening this May

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Written by the expert and completely food-obsessed team behind this website, our social channels and our monthly magazine.

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Discover our pick of great events for food lovers across the country this May. Enjoy an evening of conversation with Nigella, have a blast at a local festival or make plans to join a food-themed summer school…

See what’s coming up and use the links to tap through, find out more and book your place.

The best events for food lovers happening this May

Events across the country

Elderflower Fields, Sussex
A sustainably minded ‘wild weekend family adventure’ in Ashdown Forest, this festival feature a communal picnic for making friends and finding local producers. 24-27 May, £175.69, £91 for children, available from Elderflower Fields.

The Hay Festival, Wales
Another longstanding festival, starring writers, comedians and musicians galore. Foodie events include children’s pizza making, demos from River Cottage’s Gelf Alderson and a Plant To Plate workshop. 23 May-
2 June, free entry, some events ticketed; available from Hay Festival.

The Watercress Festival, Hampshire
This heritage event returns to Alresford for the 20th year running. There are the food stalls and cooking demos, but the big one-of-a- kind draw has to be the watercress eating championship. 19 May, free entry.

All things watercress at its namesake festival

Abbotsbury Swannery Craft & Food Fair, Dorset
On the Jurassic Coast it’s cygnet-hatching time at Abbotsbury Swannery, where the Craft & Food Fair runs for the weekend of 25-26 May, with food stalls via Dorset Food & Drink. From £7.50, available from Abbotsbury Tickets

We Feed The UK exhibitions
Organised by environmental charity The Gaia Foundation, We Feed The UK is a roving art project on a mission to draw our attention to how food is grown. Telling the stories of 10 farmers in 10 British regions through photography and poetry, the exhibitions are taking place around the UK and Ireland until spring 2025. Intrigued? Hear more on BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme (catch up on the BBC Sounds app) as Jimi Famurewa visits producers and poets to discuss the project. This month, stop by Glasgow’s Street Level Photoworks until 31 May to see Cultivating Equality: The Exhibition, a free show celebrating Scottish food initiatives led by women – against the backdrop of Scottish farms being left to sons 85% of the time.

Walk for hope
Snack stops are carefully built into the routes of the Pink Ribbon Walks launching this spring (baking opportunity ahoy…), courtesy of the charity Breast Cancer Now. On each walk, whether you choose the 10 or 20-mile option, you’ll be supporting the 55,000 people who are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. Book either Blenheim Palace & The Cotswolds (May) or Bakewell & The Peak District (June). Registration fee £20, sign up via Breast Cancer Now.

Create a buzz for World Bee Day
Bees in trouble means bad news for us. Intensive farming, pesticides and loss of habitat have hit the wild bee population and other native pollinators, such as butterflies – which could have knock-on effects on our food production. World Bee Day (20 May) reminds us to make a difference. Do your bit by planting pollinator-friendly flowers, ditching the pesticides, keeping wild areas in your garden and installing a bee hotel. It will all help the little buzzers – not to mention our ecosystem.

GROUND at Brighton Festival
GROUND is an interactive dining experience that uses local food to tell global stories about ingredients and their origins. Through performance and audio reality (plus a three-course meal), you’ll learn about ethical issues and cultural connections to food. The event takes place in the Earthship building, which featured on Grand Designs and is constructed from recycled materials. Tickets from £25 (running until Sunday 26 May), available from Brighton Festival.

Events in London

An evening with Nigella Lawson
Witness the beloved food writer in conversation with Jay Rayner at this special event at Barbican centre on 13 May, organised by Ocado. Nigella will discuss what food and cooking mean to her, along with the stories behind some of her most popular recipes before a Q&A session with the audience. Tickets from £30, available from Fane Productions.

Sarnie Party food festival
A new food festival celebrates the nation’s favourite comfort bite, the good old sandwich. In partnership with Camden Town Brewery, Sarnie Party brings together a stellar line-up of chefs and sandwich shops from across the UK. Expect top brews and epic fillings. From 17-19 May, Kentish Town, London; tickets £30 including three sandwiches and a Camden Town beer, available from Sarnie Party.

Street vendor The Untitled Sandwich Shop will be at Sarnie Party

The British Library Food Season
The institution’s sell-out event series is back this May with some exciting talks and tastings (in person at the building in central London and online). Sign up now before they sell out, and join the likes of Ravinder Bhogal, Angela Hartnett, Ixta Belfrage, Andi Oliver, Dr Chris van Tulleken and many more as they discuss everything from food writing to farming in the digital age. Ticket prices vary, visit the British Library’s website.

Eat To Live Or Live To Eat exhibition
“Tell me what you eat. and I will tell you what you are”, said the French gastronomist Brillat-Savarin. Art director Camilla Wordie’s new exhibition of ‘food portraits’, Eat To Live Or Live To Eat, attempts something similar this month at the Feelium Gallery & Studios in Kensington, London. Combining portraits of people with their favourite ingredients, the series is a play on classic portraiture that examines relationships with food. From 8-12 May, 10am-6pm, free entry.

A portrait of Jenny Cousins, director of the Food Museum, by Camilla Wordie (photograph by Marco Kesseler)

Planning ahead…

Festival fun
Booking ahead for the summer? Head to Funkirk Farm, near Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales, for what’s billed as the UK’s biggest food and drink festival (with added music). The lineup includes Blue, Chesney Hawkes, Heather Small and Gok Wan alongside celebrity chefs including local boy James Martin. 19-21 July, weekend entry tickets from £68, day tickets £32, available from Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival.

The School of Artisan Food’s website
Thinking about a career change, or just fancy enhancing your foodie know-how? Our editorial assistant Mia Rodriguez (pictured below) visited The School Of Artisan Food, on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, to preview its Artisan Summer School (29 July to 23 August). It involves breadmaking, patisserie, barbecue and more.

The four-week course also includes foraging and tours of local producers, and costs £3,995, or £4,995 with accommodation. Prefer something a bit less full-on? There are also half-day/short courses from £95. Browse all available course on The School of Artisan Food’s website.

Editorial assistant Mia previewed the summer school

Restaurant of the month

Pavyllon, London

The Immersive Menu at chef Yannick Alléno’s Pavyllon London – which was awarded its first Michelin star this year, shortly after opening – is four courses of perfectly balanced, intricate plates that will surprise and delight. Highlights included a cheese soufflé with a herby oil – think an airy and sophisticated cheese flan. Roasted duck magret, served with marinated daikon and the creamiest mash you’ve ever tried, is a highly memorable dish too. £85 for four courses.