Comber Earlies Food Festival Activities

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This is a FREE event - no ticket required to attend the event.*

Part of the Ards and North down Taste Summer Programme of events, from 25 June - 6 July. 

Comber Earlies Food Festival is organised by Ards and North Down Borough Council and supported through collaboration with Comber Regeneration Community Partnership - CRCP and Comber Earlies Growers' Co-operative. 

The annual Comber Earlies Food Festival is a wonderful day out filled with family fun, cookery demos in the Festival Kitchen and activities that celebrate the Comber Earlies potato which holds PGI Status. This year we welcome celebrity chef Anna Haugh to the festival.

Returning to Comber Leisure Centre Car Park on Saturday 28 June, 11am - 5pm enjoy a wealth of artisan food and drink stalls, vintage tractor display, celebrity chef demos, children's entertainment and lots more foodie favourites at this free family event! 

Come along to Comber and celebrate its famed potato, with chefs showcasing their culinary talents, discussions with food heroes, live music throughout the day, and an Artisan Bar – why not try a local beer brewed by McBride’s in the Square, Comber as well as other breweries from the area? A festival not to be missed! 

Festival Kitchen and Chefs

Catch live demonstrations throughout the day from our wonderful chefs joining us in the 2025 Festival Kitchen, not only are we welcoming Anna Haugh and Lotte Duncan, but we are also delighted some local chefs are cooking for us too!  Wowing us with their culinary talents are, Jim Mulholland from No. 14 The Georgian House, Comber, Carlos Capparelli from The Old Mill, Dundonald and owner of Capparelli Cooks, a range of Artisan Pasta, along with Andrew Turner from The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn.

Anna Haugh | Anna began her career in her hometown of Dublin, working in L'Ecrivain with Derry Clarke. She then moved to London, where she worked with Shane Osbourne in Pied a Terre, Philip Howard in The Square and the for the Gordan Ramsay Group. 

In May 2019, Anna opened Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea. The name Myrtle was inspired but the Irish chef Myrtle Allen, founder of Ballymaloe House. Anna takes inspiration from old Irish recipes, culture and stories, to create a modern Irish cuisine that still has the heartbeat of home. In Myrtle Restaurant there is a large focus on great Irish produce, music and art.

In autumn 2024 Anna opened her second business The Wee Sister - a wine bar inspired by the Irish welcome, with wines made my Itish people around the world and Irish produce. 

Anna has worked on numerous television shows for the BBC. She is the resident chef on the breakfast show Morning Live and for many years has been a regular on Saturday Kitchen as well as being across the MasterChef programmes in the UK. Anna has just finished filming a new cookery programme called Anna's Big Irish Food Tour for the BBC which will air in the UK in 2025. 

Lotte Duncan | is a skilled and highly experienced broadcaster. We are delighted to welcome Lotte back to Comber for the festival this year. Recognised as a leading authority on English cooking, she brings thirty years of food experience to her television presenting, live stage hosting and compering with a light, friendly and humorous touch. Read more about Lotte.

Stretch Tent 

Comber Earlies Tasters by SERC and Food Producers Stage.

11am-5pm

South Eastern Regional College chefs’ will provide a variety of delicious Comber Earlies tasters.

Food Producers Stage 

12noon – 5pm

Throughout the day, Lotte Duncan will feature products and ingredients from local producers in her cookery demonstrations.

Recipe inspiration

There are many ways to cook these famous potatoes, here is some inspiration for you to try at home - Comber Earlies recipes.

Children’s activities 

Enjoy walkabout entertainment, ride on tractors, soil pit and sensory activities. With creative activities from our parks department including, potato stamping, paper potters and create funny face potatoes. And keep an eye out for golden spuds, hidden throughout the event site. If you find one bring it to the Visitor Information Caravan (Opposite the Leisure Centre entrance within the event site) to claim your prize. (One prize per person).

Comber Earlies Food Festival Passport

Saturday 28 June  Comber multiple locations

Visit 10 locations around the town and get your passport stamped at each participating business, bring your completed passport to the Visitor Information Caravan located in Comber Leisure Centre Carpark to claim your prize on Saturday 28 June from 11am – 5pm* reminder to check individual store timings.

Passport activities are free but are subject to change and availability.

Find out more

Music Entertainment

Stage | Leisure Centre Carpark 

String Ninjas | 12noon - 2pm Belfast-Based Instrumental Duo String Ninjas are made up of Fingerstyle Guitarist Gavin Ferris & Electric Violinist Mick Conlon! There may only be 2 in the band, but their sound is as big as their personalities!

Gavin takes care of the Rhythm, Bass & Harmony thanks to his virtuosic and percussive Guitar style, while Mick handles the bulk of the melody lines thanks to his classical training and desire to sound like Hendrix on Violin!

Cool Hand String Band | 3pm - 5pm An energetic, bluegrass enthusiasts who bring a modern spin to the genre and Anna's Number are a funky fresh band who inject fun and class into all they do.

Cool Hand String Band blend their collective musical passions, to create a modern sound that will satisfy the musical needs of a wide range of tastes.

Brass Bands in Comber Square

12noon - 1.30pm | Lily of the Valley 

2.00pm - 3.30pm | Comber Brass Band

3.30pm - 4.00pm | Comber Youth 

*Comber Earlies Food Festival is a free to attend event. Charges may apply to some event activities and purchases at the event.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗔𝗘𝗥𝗔’𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲.

Stay a while

Why not make a break of it? Relax in the beauty of this place, offering everything from 5 star luxury to cosy guest houses or unique self-catering options, maybe camping and caravanning is more your thing, let us help you plan your perfect getaway.  With help from these sections plan your perfect break:  Plan Your Trip | Things to do | What's On | Experience Ards and North Down | Food and Drink

Details subject to change. Keep checking back to our website, follow our facebook page or sign up to our ezine for updates.

- This event is being photographed/filmed. Images may be used in Ards and North Down Borough Council promotional material. If you do not want your image to be used, please inform our event staff