Pontefract Liquorice Festival
Untitled Document: "Pontefract, the liquorice capital of England, presents a delicious, action packed weekend celebrating the culture and heritage of this famous market town."
Guardian Northener article:
>>> MARTIN WAINWRIGHT RECOMMENDS...
There's a classic northern highlight over the weekend of July 10-11 -
the Pontefract Liquorice Festival, which sees the old Yorkshire
centre of liquorice-growing doing everything possible to celebrate
the plant, including one initiative which is very... well... odd.
I took three work experience students from Greenhead College,
Huddersfield - Laura Walsh, Matt Keighley and Cory Hazelhurst - down
to Ponty last week to find out more, and here's what they have to
say:
"English festivals have always been something of a strange occasion,
but Pontefract's fourth annual Liquorice Festival might just be the
strangest in a while. It kicks off on July 10 for two days and is
anticipated to be the biggest national celebration of liquorice. The
festival includes a liquorice cake and dessert-making competition,
liquorice-tasting including the sampling of Liquorice Ale and a
Liquorice Tranquillity Centre.
"Pontefract has long been known for its association with liquorice.
Thirteen factories once provided much of this historic town's
employment. These days, only two factories remain, but Pontefract is
still proud of its heritage, which explains the community's
enthusiasm for this year's festival.
"Before the festival, the main uses of liquorice had mainly been in
making Liquorice Allsorts, chewing gum, cakes and forms of
alternative remedies. But textile students at New College,
Pontefract, have rediscovered a new function for the popular sweet.
Their head of department Amanda Bird has organised them to design
their own clothes made from the confectionery. The idea, described as
"very innovative" by the college's principal Rob Phillips, is oddly
appropriate for the town and has certainly caught on to the festival
spirit.
"The design ideas stem from the original liquorice dress worn by
factory worker Emily Money for her firm's annual Christmas dance in
the 1930s. Amanda Bird says: "The students are used to working with
unusual materials, including clothes made of wire, paper and glue,
but liquorice seems to have really inspired them."
"There is a wide range of designs - favourites being an Allsorts hat
and a liquorice dinner jacket complete with bow tie. There will be
three separate shows at the festival when professional models will
show off the students' creations - which may be heavy work. Hannah
Chilton and Sue Vernon's Pontefract Cake dress alone used thirteen
and a half pounds of liquorice.
"Festival-goers should be careful about just how much liquorice they
eat. Only days ago, a 56-year-old woman was taken into hospital after
overdosing on the black stuff."
Thanks, gang. More details at Pontefract Liquorice Festival
(http://www.pontefractliquoricefestival.co.uk).
posted by Jen @ 8:36 AM
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