Living in the heart of the Cotswolds is one of the most glorious places for walks, beautiful scenery, wildlife, country pubs, tea rooms and more but what it has also become very good for over the years is wonderful family fun music festivals. We are very spoiled with the choices we have here such as Cornbury (although had its final year this year), Barn on the Farm, Nibley, Chalfest, Wilderness, Cheltenham Jazz Festival (not summer but Spring), The Big Feastival and so much more.
Set on Alex James’ (from Blur) cotswold farm, The Big Feastival plays host to the UK’s biggest, newest and rising stars as well as live shows from Michelin Star Chefs, award winning street food and a wide variety of activities for kids including some CBeebies favourites performing.
Music
This year, we have seen that some of the UK country music favourites are on the line up and we are very excited that these artists are getting to showcase their talents at such a prestigious festival.
First on the list are vocal harmony group Morganway. A firm favourite amongst UK country and Americana music fans for their stunning harmonies and epic instrumentation skills. Sitting in both the country and Americana genres, Morganway are the perfect festival band with music that will win over any festival goer with their atmospheric and infectious melodies. Morganway’ self titled album which was released back in 2019 was popular amongst critics and music fans and it’s easy to see and hear why. With six exceptional vocalists, their music is constantly gripping. If you are a lover of music in general and or are fans of acts such as Fleetwood Mac, Little Big Town then Morganway are the band for you. Whilst I can’t say that they are similar to any of these bands as they have their own unique stamp, they should definitely appeal to fans of those artists.
Next up is the delightful Izzie Walsh. Izzie is one of UK country music’s sweethearts. Like Morganway she crosses genres of country and Americana. Her powerhouse vocals are incredible and her music is wonderfully addictive. Izzie’s songs have a sweet sounding melodies with deep lyrics that are very relatable. Izzie will be a great addition to The Big Feastival and will undoubtedly captivate the audience.
Also from the UK country genre is Jake Morrell. Jake is no stranger amongst the fanbase and has been on our radar for some time. Jake’s single Sunkissed will likely have an infectious affect on the audience with its up-beat, summer anthem vibes and songs such as Life of the Party will meet an attentive audience feeling all the emotions that Morrell’s vocals deliver. His music crosses genres between country and pop but he is simply just a singer-songwriter who should not be tied to one genre and certainly shouldn’t be ignored.
We will hopefully be catching all their sets as well as discovering some new music we are yet to be familiar with. That’s the beauty of festivals though, you can always catch an artist who may become a new favourite.
So as we mostly write about country music, it’s always fun to try out some of that southern styled food too which we don’t get to do often here in the UK, so what better place to do that than a Feastival! We have been looking at all the food vendors listed on The Big Feastival website and our mouth’s have been watering and we can’t wait to have a little taste of that southern style. It’s a good thing that we are there for three days as there is quite a lot we want to try.
Street Food
Anna-Mae’s Mac and Cheese immediately caught our eye. Whilst Mac and Cheese is hugely popular across the UK, it isn’t every day that you get to try such wonderfully unique variants of it! This will keep my six year old happy for sure but he will likely go for a bowl of traditional mac and cheese whilst my husband and I will be a bit more adventurous. It looks like the menu differs per event and are themed but we are yet to see the Feastival menu. We have no doubt though that we will be spoiled for choice and we can’t wait!
Another vendor we are eager to try is Bonehead. Specialising in Fried Chicken, Bonehead have a great menu with burgers, wings, pieces and more. You can have all kinds of seasoning including Nashville Hot which I am going to try to be brave to attempt. I love a chicken burger so I am looking forward to maybe having a try of one of theirs.
DJ BBQ. His website describes him as “… a trail blazing barbecue cook with a tribe of dedicated fans on his DJBBQ Youtube channel and across social media” . He will be giving a live catering experience which we are very excited for. The food looks absolutely delicious!
HotBox use a combination of kiln-dried Hickory and Oak in a 1-tonne Rotisserie Smoker. The meat is dry-rubbed and cooked low and slow(ly) to create tender, succulent cuts that melt in the mouth. There should be a lot of spice hence the name HotBox I guess and as someone who usually shy’s away from hot and spicy food, I would be very tempted to have a go of their food.
Now Killa Waffles really intrigue me. Their website states that KIlla Waffles make savoury & vegetarian waffle cones as well as waffle burgers, using only organic meat and veg ingredients. From freshly baked waffle cones with chicken strips or mac n cheese, to killa burgers with our signature dipping sauces, everything on Killa Waffles’ menu is an original masterpiece, trialed and developed to fuel your body and soul.
I have never tried anything like this before so it should be interesting and I am sure in a great way! I do not know how I will choose and will probably be standing in front of the menu for ages but I simply can’t go away from the weekend without trying something there. I think a cone is very likely….
I stated above that I am a fan of Chicken Burgers but I also love a good Beef Burger and I mean really good burgers that have a lot of fillings and aren’t overcooked. Libertine Burger look like they would easily please me. I am not massively fussy on the fillings so a good cheese, whether that be cheddar, American cheese, Blue Cheese or another cheese, combined with pickles, salad and some good sauces then I am good! I can’t wait to see what they offer across the weekend.
Another Burger vendor which looks mouth watering is Mother Flipper. Their website states “35 DAY AGED CHUCK STEAK BURGERS SERVED IN A GLAZED BRIOCHE BUN. ALL BURGERS ARE COOKED MEDIUM UNLESS YOU SAY OTHERWISE.” And medium is just how I like it! The Chilli Flipper looks like a burger I may have to try.
THE CHILLI FLIPPER
FERMENTED GREEN CHILLI RELISH, CHEDDAR, RANCH MAYO, CURLY LETTUCE, RED ONION, PICKLE
Poor Boys looks like a must. They say on their site that “Our food pays homage to the Famous New Orleans Po Boy sandwich as well as some exciting creations based on our favourite New Orleans and Regional Classic American flavours”
The Po Boy Sandwiches look delicious on their website so we are looking forward to seeing what they have to offer at the Feastival.
The Original Patty Men are another burger vendor. How on earth will we choose??? They have a burger called The Pineapple Express which appears to have some kind of pineapple hot sauce which sounds really intriguing.
Toastie Toastie which I think may be a US brand and if they are the company I think they are, then they will definitely be one we may have to try. I have seen no hint of a menu though so we will definitely be checking that out at the weekend!
UHK- DogsNJuicy is a vendor that offers Korean hot dogs, corn dogs and more. I have never tried a corn dog so this may have to be the time to change that!
From their website they say; “Our signature patty is our own blend (Flank, chuck, brisket) of grass-fed, 28-day dry-aged, organic Aberdeenshire beef supplied by Aubrey Allen, double ground, freshly seasoned, and smashed to order on our grill”
They have a great variety of beef, chicken and vegan burgers. Choosing what to have will be very hard. The veggie option in their website caught our eye though;
NO. 3 (TRADEMARK VEGGIE)
Panko fried Mac “N” Cheese patty, American cheese, lettuce, pickles, mayonnaise, and your choice of BBQ or hot sauce
But what they have across the weekend may differ, we don’t know as of yet. As well as burgers though, they have a good choice of topped fries, sides, sauces and extras so it’s definitely worth looking at the menu on the website for an idea of what they may have.
DESSERTS
Now we don’t usually have room for dessert at festivals or time as we get so busy. However, looking at the list of scrumptious desserts on offer, we may have to change that!
Beki’s Brownies looks amazing and very filling. Her brownies go way beyond the regular brownie and are a full on pudding with all kinds of fillings and toppings. She even does brownie truffles and her own salted caramel. I have a feeling choosing just one brownie is going to be a problem and I may have to take some home for later.
Blondies Kitchen offer an array of giant cookies, personalised cookies, cookie nuggets (which look unbelievably good and can come with dips…) We can already picture having something here with a nice cup of tea. With all the choices they will no doubt have on offer, this may be another pudding we have to take some home for later, or a lot for later. Hmm, may have to bring a bigger bag!
Chocofruit are a popular brand that have a shop online and in Selfridges. They take fruit and cover it in, well chocolate. But it is so much more than that as it is also an art form and full of flavour. They do frozen chocolate covered bananas, flavoured Candy Floss and of course Chocolate covered Strawberries as well as much more.
We are very eager to check this out when we get to the Feastival as the chocolate covered bananas, strawberries are likes ones we have never seen. I am expecting very rich tastes which will be incredibly satisfying.
My Cookie Dough offer a tasty range of cookie dough accompanied with all sorts of scrumptious toppings. As well as the traditional dishes they also do scotch egg cookie dough and skillet. I am not sure what any of these will be like but will definitely have a look at least.
The Waffle Float serve hand made Liege Belgian waffles with a wide variety of delicious toppings including Nutella, Banana, Ice Cream, Maple Syrup and more. A very rich desert depending on your toppings.
Kids Stuff
The range of activities for kids at the Feastival is astonishing. We have listed some that we may take our kids to try out.
If you have kids or for some reason or another have had the channel on CBeebies, then you may be familiar with CBeebies Bedtime Stories. This is when a celebrity reads a Bedtime Story before CBeebies and all its viewers go to bed. The likes of Dolly Parton, Dave Grohl, Tom Hiddleston and many more have taken part in it and at The Big Feastival we will be getting some guests doing it live. Who we will get isn’t confirmed yet but as a mother of two little ones, I am very excited to see who it will be and to take my kids to watch it.
Also from CBeebies will be Andy and The Oddsocks playing their fun, upbeat, interactive songs which are always a lot fun!
Justin Fletcher again from CBeebies show Justin’s House will perform on the main stage for a set of fun audience participating songs.
Other activities include an opportunity to meet Bluey and Bingo and Zog, Den building, bush craft, comedy club 4 kids, farm yard circus, Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, a chance to make Aardman Animations clay models, face painting, story telling, grow zone, silly science, tree climbing, a workshop tent and more!!!
For kids under 5, Calypso Kids in The Big Top. Join Calypso the frog and sing, hop, and jump whilst exploring percussion instruments and making music to your favorite children’s songs.
There is going to be a lot of fun stuff for kids. I do suspect everywhere will be slightly crowded but I do hope our kids get to be a part of some of it!
We look forward to all The Big Feastival has to offer and hope that we can bring some great reviews!
Building Our Own Nashville 