Bringing a different flavour to the summer food festival scene, organisers at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford are busy preparing for the Cosford Food Festival which takes place the weekend of 25th-26th July. Held in the museum’s spacious grounds, there will be plenty of military and wartime twists added to the event, meaning there is much more than just great food on offer.

Exclusively for the Cosford Food Festival will be the chance to see RAF Chef Cpl Keith Small live in action, on the Wots Cooking demo stage. RAF Chefs have a varied role when it comes to cooking and preparing food; working five-star themed banquets one day and cooking in the field the next. Currently based at the RAF Catering Training Squadron, Worthy Down, Cpl Small is one of six Chef Instructors who teaches Defence Chef Basic courses and Advanced Catering Skills. Sure to be a highlight for visitors, Cpl Small will be on stage both days at 1pm.

Visitors can sit back and relax with a summer’s drink in hand whilst dining alfresco and enjoy some of the live music, which includes a performance from The Military Wives Choir at 11am on Saturday. Festival organisers are thrilled to have members from Cosford, Shawbury and Stafford choirs joining together for what is guaranteed to be a magical performance, kick starting the festival weekend.

Other performances include; a 1940s Home Front Cabaret with Marjorie Cartwright-Jones, who attempts to dispense advice and thrifty tips to hard-pressed wartime housewives and intersperses her handy hints with delightful vocal renditions of her favourite 1940s songs. Plus, performances from the Cosford Voluntary Band, Random Brass and acoustic musician Anthony Doyle will be creating a real buzz in the festival arena.

Ensuring there is plenty to keep the whole family entertained, there will be some nostalgic hands on fun for children who are invited to participate in rationing inspired cookery sessions. Kidz Kitchen will be running sessions throughout the festival weekend, but spaces are limited, so if you have any future chefs in the family, be sure to book your place on arrival.

Continuing with the wartime theme, visitors can delve in to our dressing up box of RAF uniforms and aviation accessories and pose for pictures in the wartime photo booth. Packed with genuine RAF uniforms dating back to World War Two, plus helmets, hats and goggles, this fun activity is perfect for any budding aviators to sample what it’s like to dress in military attire. Not only do participants get to have fun trying out the different uniforms, each participant will receive a printout of three photos to take home as a fun and fitting memento of the day.

The Cosford Food Festival is bringing together some of the finest food and drink producers from across the Midlands and combining them with a world class collection of aircraft and exhibits. Visitors to the festival will also have access to the RAF Museum which is home to over 75 historic aircraft including the world’s oldest Spitfire and the mighty Vulcan bomber to name but a few.

Open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July, admission is £5 per adult which includes a free Cosford Food Festival programme containing everything you need to know about what’s going on over the festival weekend.