Leamington foodie champion helps ensure new festival in Warwick has the recipe for success

Bianca, who fronts Bia’s Kitchen Show, will be taste testing many of the culinary offerings from her festival stage as well as hosting two competitions for visitors to get involved in.

There are prizes up for grabs in Bia’s bake-off competition for children on Saturday.

Youngsters can bring their home-made cakes to be judged by professional make caker Sophie Page from Coventry.

While the adults can see cocktail making demos on Sunday by That Gin Company based in Warwick and Warwickshire Gin Company based in Leamington.

Warwick Pursuits Festival is a two-day community event celebrating music, art and culture, with an array of activities for families to enjoy for free.

Its arrival in Warwick follows Stratford’s successful event held in May, which attracted thousands of people across two days.

Bia’s Kitchen Show highlights the independent foodie scene when it is streamed twice monthly on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram and Facebook.

It is an extension to the successful Bia’s Kitchen brand and features local independent chefs and restaurateurs cooking signature dishes as well as Bianca’s own top tips and recipes.

Bianca said: “I am incredibly excited to be involved in this fabulous new event which shares my same values of supporting independent food and drink businesses.

I’m looking forward to playing my part in championing some of these businesses by introducing their stories and flavours to the festival-goers.

"Behind every successful small business is a story of passion and dedication that I look forward to sharing, whilst having a lot of fun along the way with some competitions and giveaways.”

Stepping into the Bia’s Kitchen Show spotlight at this weekend’s festival will be Bongo Bunee Chow, Dough and Brew, Mister V Street Food, Redfern Kitchen, Sunkanya ThaiFood, Shakespeare Spit Roast, The Magic Kingdom and Dough Ay’ We.

The festival will focus on history, literature, music, dance, theatre, art, sports and well-being, with free activities showcasing much of Warwick history, culture and community.

Alongside family-friendly activities, there will be art installations, interactive experiences, workshops, live music from local acts and great food and drink.

Mixing it up away from his bar throughout Sunday, That Gin Company’s Steve Bazell will be on hand to deliver some mini cocktail masterclasses on Bia’s stage.

Festival Director Kate Livingston said: “Slate events is continuously pushing the envelope when it comes to festival experiences, which is why we are delighted to have the support of Bia’s Kitchen, a renowned Instagram influencer in the culinary space, hosting a stage where she will interview our local vendors.

"This will shine a spotlight on the incredible food establishments in our community.

“Our vendors’ participation and support are crucial to making events like this happen, especially at a time when funding for free festivals is hard to come by.

"We hope this initiative will not only make our festival more interactive and exciting but also provide a valuable platform for our local food vendors to showcase their amazing work to a broader audience.

“We look forward to highlighting the delightful culinary offerings we have locally and attracting more visitors from further afield to experience our vibrant food scene.”

She added: “This festival is for the community of Warwick - local businesses, community groups, charities, and people who live and work here.

"The success of the Stratford event stemmed from its clear links to the town itself and its community, and we can’t wait to do the same in Warwick with its own unique festival that really champions the town and provides a platform for the local community to engage with and explore what makes their town special - not to mention bringing people from far and wide to get a taste of the great place Warwick is to live, work and visit.”

Warwick Pursuits Festival takes place at St Nicholas Park and is supported by the Henry the VIII Trust, and Live and Local.

Entry is free, and more information can be found at https://www.pursuitsfestival.co.uk/warwick-pursuits-festival

Work is under way ahead of the release of the first in a series of Bia’s Kitchen cookbooks later this year, compiling some of her guests’ best recipes.

The book sale profits will support mental health, a cause close to her heart.

Previous episodes of Bia’s Kitchen Show can be seen at: https://biaskitchenshow.com/, on YouTube - Bia’s kitchen show on Facebook- Bia’s kitchen show and Instagram - Biaskitchenuk