Morrisons opens Asian Corner at Starbeck supermarketRipon indies prepare for Easter bank holiday street party

Small independent businesses in Ripon are hoping to “blow the roof off” the city on Monday with an Easter bank holiday street party, organisers say. 

From 10am to 4pm, the day will feature artisan sellers, street food and live music, all designed to raise the city’s profile as a thriving cultural centre. 

The event will be part of the Totally Locally scheme and is supported by Ripon Business Improvement District (BID). All BID members will have £10 offers on the day. 

The event, which will be centred on the south side of Market Place, has been organised by Richard Hughes, owner of Manchega, the Spanish tapas restaurant on Kirkgate, and Paul Page, owner of street food vendor Squid & Tonic. 

Richard told the Stray Ferret: 

“Grassroots independent businesses like ours are at the sharp end of interacting with visitors, and we want to work together to raise the level of what Ripon has to offer. 

“Events like this really showcase the city and help to promote our great independent businesses. We’re looking to blow the roof off Ripon!” 

Manchega and Squid & Tonic will be joined on Monday by food providers including The Portly Pig, Prima, Mario’s Restaurant 27, Syrian Street Food and Jaflong, which last month was named Bangladeshi Restaurant of the Year at the National Curry Awards. 

The day’s soundtrack will be provided by a range of acts on two stages, including Time Machine, Knaresborough Vista Social Club, Jack & Amy, Mark Truelove, Freddie Cleary, Paul Astley, Ukrainian violinist Nadia Violin and Ripon’s own All For One Choir.  

Richard said: 

“We’re very excited. North Yorkshire Growth Hub have told us there are more independent businesses per head in Ripon than in any other town or city in the UK. We’re inviting the whole community to help us celebrate that.” 

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Suds With Buds celebrates world’s brewers, street food and live music

This story is sponsored by Rooster’s Brewing Co.

Brewers from across the UK and the United States have been invited to bring their finest beers to Harrogate for Rooster’s Brewing Co’s first ever Suds With Buds festival of beer, street food and music. 

The event on Saturday, July 1 will see more than 20 breweries converge on Rooster’s Hornbeam Park home, spanning the brewery and yard, Taproom, beer garden and The Sample Room upstairs. 

Tom Fozard, commercial director at Rooster’s, said: 

“Suds With Buds is an event we’ve been wanting to put on for several years, but one thing or another has stopped initial ideas from becoming reality… until now! On the back of Rooster’s celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2023, we’re biting the bullet and making it happen. 

“Some of the UK’s most respected and talked about breweries will be descending upon our little corner of the world, as well as a handful travelling from much further afield, creating a truly unique, combined line-up of over 100 beers.” 

Graphic produced by Harrogate-based Roosters Brewing Company to publicise its inaugural Suds With Buds event on July 1, 2023.

Brewers and food from across the world

Joining brewers from Britain, such as Burning Sky in Sussex and Cromarty Brewing Co in Scotland, will be Colorado brewers Odell Brewing Co and Crooked Stave, and Stiegl from Austria. Some brewers will even be flying in specially to pour their brews in person, including: Jeremy Grinkey, co-owner of California start-up Everywhere; Kevin Smith, head brewer at Bale Breaker Brewing Co in Yakima, Washington; Evan Price, owner of Green Cheek Brewing Co in California; and Jaakko Saivosalmi, managing director of Finnish cider company Brinkhall. 

On top of the beers, some of the tastiest street-food the North has to offer will be served up by local legends Paradise Tap & Taco and Jack In A Box, as well as Knead Pitta and the Pizza Bus from further afield. 

There will also be live music on a specially-built stage in the beer garden, featuring Sheffield two-piece Hot Soles, Ralph Pelleymounter, David Broad, Ramona Rose, The Silver Reserve and Trainer Trouble. 

Tom said: 

“To say this is the first event of its kind we’ve decided to put on, we can’t quite believe the quality of the musicians we’ve managed to secure! It really is just a ridiculous line-up.

“As with the previous annual open days we used to host back on our old site in Knaresborough, we’ll have Tony Safari spinning his ever eclectic collection of funky vinyl in The Sample Room throughout the day too.” 

Suds With Buds will run from 2 to 8pm on Saturday, July 1. Tickets cost £25 and the price includes a souvenir Suds With Buds glass, as well as an event programme with full beer menu. The price of the tickets will also cover all of the associated costs of putting on the break-even event, including staffing, equipment, the provision of a wellness area, security, the musicians and additional facilities. 

Find out more: 

To secure your ticket for this unprecedented celebration of modern UK and US brewing and to sample some of the finest beers in the world, some of them never before served on this side of the Atlantic, just head to the Suds With Buds page of Rooster’s website.

Use code FERRET_10 at checkout and save 10%!