Ironbridge, Shropshire and home to this October's Gorgeous Festival

After a hugely successful event in 2009, The Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust and The Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft are bringing together a truly inspirational mix of some of the finest craftspeople from the region for the Guild’s prestigious annual flagship exhibition, ‘Gorgeous’, over the weekend of October 9th and 10th. For the third year running there will also be a Food Hall filled with a range of delicacies from across Shropshire. 

This unique selling exhibition will be held at Enginuity, Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge, Shropshire and will include over 35 designer-makers from The Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft plus guests.

Shrewsbury based Bonbonniere Chocolates and Ironbridge based Queenies Cupcakery are two of the exhibitors at this year’s Gorgeous.  Melanie Fallon, who runs the organic gourmet chocolate company, Bonbonniere Chocolates, said “last year was our first time at Gorgeous. And it was fantastic for us”. 

Bonbonniere, who won the prestigious Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF) Diamond Awards for 2009 with their cardamom chocolate will be selling their mouth-watering range of fresh, handmade chocolate including ginger, luxury champagne and aromatic orange.

A new exhibitor at the Gorgeous Contemporary Fine Food and Craft Fair this year will be Queenies Cupcakery from Ironbridge.

Queenies, run by niece and auntie duo Kaye and Claire Shaw opened their Ironbridge ‘cupcakery’ in April of this year and have been making between 100 -1,000 sumptuous cupcakes daily ever since. Kaye said “we’ve been really busy since we opened, not only do we have the shop, but we also supply cupcakes as favours, as wedding cakes and offer a retro 1950′s party service.”

Other exhibitors at this year’s Gorgeous include The Green Cow Deli and Farm Shop, Bridgnorth; Heathers Harvest; Wil’s Smokehouse and Strefford Hall Farm Shop.

Entrance to Gorgeous is £2.50 per person, under 12′s go free. Gorgeous will be open from 10am-5pm on Saturday 9^th and 10am-4pm on Sunday 10^th of October.

 Further details are available from the Shropshire Guild’s website at: www.shropshireguild.co.uk or the Ironbridge Visitor Information Centre on Tel: 01952 884391 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk

Enjoy an authentic seven course Roman Banquet set within the ramparts of  the ruined sity of Viroconium, just south of Shrewsbury. Created using authentic roman dishes and techniques and accompanied by wine from the Wroxeter Roman Vineyard priced at £37.50 per person or £350.00 for 10 people

Set in an area where the locals admire their Roman architecture and traditions the Wroxeter Hotel is the perfect venue for such an occasion with a few “surprises“ in store.

 www.thewroxeterhotel.co.uk

Work up an appetite with a glorious summer evening tour around the caslte gardens with head gardener of Welshpool’s Powis Castle..  Then relax with a savoury supper, served in the restaurant, followed by three desert courses, a total of six mouth watering puddings all sourced locally from Welshpool!

For more information please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-powiscastle_garden

Taste  20 different ciders and perry while enjoying live music. , Free entry.

Based on the Haygate Road in Wellington, Shrospire  the event is the perfect opportunity to test locally sourced ciders.

 www.thehaygate.co.uk