Horsham set for food extravaganza ‘Big Nibble’ this weekend

The weekend spectacular, held over Saturday August 31 and Sunday September 1, organised by Horsham District Council in conjunction with Horsham Markets, will include entertainment that is sure to suit everyone.

The anticipated return of Horsham’s annual Beer Trail to this year’s festivities is surely not an event to be missed on the Saturday.

The Big Nibble’s very own beverage tour, sponsored this year by The Black Jug in North Street, includes a record breaking eleven participating venues in and around Horsham town centre, and offers a huge selection of locally brewed ales.

This year’s participants include: Bills, Crompton’s at The Olive Branch, Hepworth & Company Brewers Ltd, The Anchor Hotel, The Beer Essentials, The Black Jug, The Crown, The Lynd Cross, The Malt Shovel, Piries Bar, and Ye Old Stout House.

Tasting has never been better. Entry into this year’s beer trail costs just £1, and this gives those taking part their very own small tasting tankards for visitors to take home.

Using the tankard, visitors can make their way around the beer trail map, tasting as they go.

Programmes can be signed at each venue, resulting in a prize draw for those guides that are completed and handed in. A free two-course meal and bottle of house wine awaits the lucky winner, courtesy of The Black Jug.

From 11am, visitors can collect their beer trail programmes from the Event Control Point in the Carfax, with the first station being the Hepworth’s Brewery stall. The trail finishes at 4pm.

Roger Paterson (Con, Pulborough and Coldwaltham), HDC’s cabinet member for the local economy, said: “I’m sure that this year’s Beer Trail at Horsham’s Big Nibble is going to be the most popular ever.

“With a record number of 11 of Horsham’s best pubs providing beer tasters, I urge all lovers of the amber nectar to make sure that they sign up for their souvenir sampling glass as soon as they can, because this is an opportunity that’s much too tasty to miss.”

On Sunday, an event sure to take visitors back in time is the Horsham Bus Rally around Horsham and down to Steyning.

The day will kick off with the chairman of Horsham District Council Philip Circus taking a ride from the Carfax at 10am on a Southdown Historic open top bus.

Visitors will then be able enjoy Southdown Historic bus rides around Horsham throughout the day on a loop service operating every 20 minutes. Visitors can hop on and off the buses for free.

This will be a chance for all the family to explore the wonderful countryside of Horsham and the surrounding areas in a truly vintage fashion.

This event will be held from 10am to 4pm on Sunday September 1 at Hop Oast Park and Ride, just off Worthing Road.

Bus related stalls and a variety of buses will also be displayed on the site for visitors to take a look at.

There are plenty more events taking place at The Big Nibble, including a huge local produce market over both days, demonstrations as part of the ‘Live Food Show’, a Nibble Trail, live music, street theatre, plus ‘The Great Horsham Bake Off’, which kicks off on Sunday afternoon from 1pm on Horsham’s ‘The Forum’ piazza.

Horsham District Council would like to thank all the partners and sponsors for their involvement with the event this year, including: Horsham Markets, West Sussex County Times, West Sussex Gazette, The Mid Sussex Times, The Weekend Herald, Skoda Station Garage, Southern, The Black Jug, South Lodge, Southdowns Historic Vehicles, Beales, Steamer Trading Cook Shop, and Waitrose.

For more information about The Big Nibble event on August 31 and September 1, visit the dedicated website or contact Horsham District Council by calling 01403 215529.

The Big Nibble launches the Horsham District Food and Drink Festival, which runs from August 31 to September 29. For more information and to download the year-round local produce guide, visit Horsham Local Produce’s website.