AUGUST

until August 2 National Parks Week 2008 (www.nationalparks.gov.uk) Celebrating the Year of Food and Farming in an effort to reconnect people to the landscape that produces their food and promote local produce. Choose from picnics, farm visits and guided walks and talks across the UK’s 14 national parks this week. The website's recipe map is superb.

5-9 Great British Beer Festival, Earl's Court www.camra.org.uk A showcase for well-known brands as well as a chance for small, local brewers to promote their beer. The Champion Beer of Britain competition will also be judged.

9-10 Chilli Fiesta, West Dean Gardens, near Chichester www.westdean.org Gauranteed to be a hot day with 100 stallholders and more than 250 chillies - from Apache to Wild Fire and Banana to Carrot - and sweet peppers on display in the restored Victorian glasshouses. There will be food tasting, cooking demonstrations, chilli chocolate and ice cream and salsa of the dancing variety.

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14-16 Worcester Beer, Cider and Perry Festival, Worcester Racecourse www.worcesterbeerfest.org.uk Impressive list of mostly British beers and some of the country's best ciders.

15-17 Flavour Fest, Plymouth www.plymouthcitycentre.co.uk Claims to be the UK's largest farmers' market with 100 stalls packed with tasty offerings from fine food producers across the South West; plus the city's own Tanner brothers in the demo tent and an Olympic village with global food offerings.

16-17 Isle of Wight Garlic Festival www.garlic-festival.co.uk Garlic in more ways than you can imagine plus the best of the island's produce including Dunsbury lamb.

16-17 Arbroath Sea Fest www.angushead.com The star fish is undoubtedly the Arbroath smokie - haddock smoked over hardwood - but past years have also seen trout specialities, suckling pig, venison and ostrich meat, available from the Smokie Trail, comprising 70-odd stalls along the harbour. Visitors can also sample locally-caught produce at the Gourmet Galley and enjoy demonstrations by some of Scotland's super chefs.

18 to Sept 18 Pennine Lancashire Festival of Food and Culture www.visitlancashire.com Gastro adventures include culinary canal cruises, pony trekking picnics, steam train lunches, champagne balloon flights, ale trails and brewery tours.

23-24 Foodies at the Festival, Edinburgh www.foodiesfestival.com Food muscles in on the Fringe to revive the flagging spirits of those living off takeaways with 70 food and drink purveyors and a chefs' theatre offering cookery demonstrations from Auld Reekie's Michelin starred duo Martin Wishart and Tom Kitchin.

30-31 Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival, St Davids, Pembrokeshire www.reallywildfestival.co.uk Join a hedgerow or shoreline walk to discover “free food” and then watch chefs transform the foraged bounty into everyday meals with innovative recipes.

30-31 Singapore Chilli Crab Festival, Brick Lane, East London (www.tigerbeer.co.uk) This niche knees-up celebrates the Singaporean national dish: crab drenched in a fresh tomato and chilli-based sauce; chef Terry Tan is on hand to cook up other Far Eastern chow.

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