A NEW Shaftesbury Food Festival organising committee had plenty to celebrate as this year’s weekend celebration attracted more than 12,000 visitors to enjoy Dorset food, drink, culture and community, with a programme that ranged from the famous Gold Hill cheese race to MasterChef winner demos and a new food trail.
This was the most ambitious year yet for the volunteer-led festival, attracting visitors from across the country. Firmly established as one of the South West’s most distinctive food and cultural festivals, Shaftesbury continues to grow in scale, reach and national recognition. National media interest included BBC coverage of the Gold Hill Cheese Race and ongoing filming for a documentary in development with Odd Duck Films.
A new cultural programme for 2026 saw seven local artists explore food, landscape and identity in the exhibition A Feast for the Eyes, which drew interest throughout the weekend.
The historic Town Hall hosted the MasterChefs LIVE cookery stage, drawing strong audiences for a programme that began with Barber’s Bean to Bar Chocolate offering a live chocolate decorating masterclass.
MasterChef Champion of Champions Ping Coombes, finalist Anurag Aggarwal and winner Shelina Permalloo shared dishes inspired by Malaysian, Indian and Mauritian cuisine, alongside the stories and heritage behind their cooking. The programme was hosted by River Cottage writer and curing expert Steven Lamb, who guided audiences through each session.
Festival Director Sarah Rudder said: “Ping Coombes lit up the festival with her vibrant Malaysian cookery and infectious sense of fun, Anurag Aggarwal captivated audiences with his rich culinary storytelling, and Shelina Permalloo shared inspiring, flavour-packed ideas for feeding families with creativity and heart.”
Former MasterChef winner and foraging expert Mat Follas brought his award-winning Mûre liqueurs to the street market, inspired by Dorset hedgerows and wild ingredients.
The new Food Trail extended the festival experience into the wider Dorset countryside, encouraging visitors to explore local producers, farms and food heritage. The trail offered a self-guided journey through cheesemakers, organic farms, flour mills, ice cream producers, delis and a boutique vineyard, many offering curated tastings for trail visitors.
The initiative created a wider landscape experience, connecting visitors and guest members of the press directly with producers and their backstories, encouraging deeper discovery of the region and supporting a broader spread of footfall across rural food and drink businesses.
Other events included a screening of a new short film, The Kitchen Garden by Tiggy Walker, starring Ramon Tikaram, followed by a Q&A at Shaftesbury Arts Centre, exploring the role of food in memory, wellbeing and healing; the town-wide Ingredients Hunt and the traditional Byzant procession, led by the Mayor..
Crowds flocked to watch the Gold Hill Cheese Race, which attracted a record-breaking 204 competitors from across the UK, in the men’s, women’s, veterans’ and children’s categories. Each carried 23kg truckles up the 80-metre climb, where gradients of 17–22% and uneven cobbles created a demanding challenge.
Jim Chetwode, chairman of the Shaftesbury Chamber of Commerce and festival organiser, said: “This festival belongs to Shaftesbury. It is entirely volunteer-led, and what we see here is the result of a small, dedicated team giving their time and energy to what this town can achieve when it comes together. We are now focused on expanding the pioneering Food Trail initiative and enriching the visitor experience even further.”