Celebrity Chef Anna Haugh Returns to Ards and North Down for Taste Autumn

6th August 2025

An exciting programme of foodie activity starts on Friday 5 September with Taste Autumn in Ards and North Down, giving you the chance to savour some of the Borough’s finest food and drink with celebrity chef Anna Haugh, including the popular Tide and Turf Food Festival in Portavogie on Saturday 6 September.

Celebrity Chef Anna Haugh with the Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Gillian McCollum, and Paul Mercer (SERC).

The very best of our local seafood, beef and harvest foods will be celebrated with free and ticketed events including exclusive foodie experiences in unique locations, chef demonstrations, with a focus on our delicious local produce. Highlights of the programme include Demo and Dine (Friday 5 September) as well as the Tide and Turf Food Festival (Saturday 6 September), both in Portavogie Harbour.

Demo and Dine offers a unique dining experience with celebrity chef Anna Haugh. Anna will demo some of the dishes from the menu which will feature the finest local produce, curated by the team at the local South Eastern Regional College (SERC). This is a delicious dining opportunity in an unusual pop-up restaurant setting and will be an evening to remember. Tickets will be available soon.

Demo and Dine provides the perfect way to kick-off a memorable weekend of foodie events with the popular Tide and Turf Food Festival taking place the following day. Thousands of people are expected to attend the annual event on Saturday 6 September, when Portavogie Harbour will come to life with a range of activities and foodie attractions for all the family.

The Festival takes place from 12noon until 5pm and is free to attend. It will feature cookery demonstrations, lots of family fun with pedal boats, sand crafts and Punch and Judy shows, plus the opportunity to grab a deck chair and enjoy live music. More details will be released in the coming weeks.

A free return bus service will run from Bangor, Donaghadee and Ballyhalbert to Demo and Dine, while free buses will also be in operation to and from the Tide and Turf Food Festival.

Taste Autumn runs from 5-28 September and includes other events such as Stargazing (5 September), Chilli Festival (13/14 September), distillery experiences, an Evening with Peter Corry (19 September), Taste AND at Bangor Castle (27/28 September) and more. For a full list, to book tickets and plan your journey with parking information and bus timetables, go to visitardsandnorthdown.com/tasteautumn.  

(𝘛𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘧 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘈𝘌𝘙𝘈’𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦).