Food festival leaves bad feelings in the air tonight

A Petersfield trader who missed again even though there was

no jacket required at the festival insists an appearance next year is against all odds

Petersfield traders who showed no inclination to get involved with the Petersfield Food & Drink Festival have slammed organisers for not begging them to take part.

The Petersfield Food & Drink Festival, which took place in the square and High Street on June 4 and 5, was hailed as a huge success by most people – but one local shopkeeper was incensed after taking the decision not to be involved only to find her takings for the weekend well below normal.

Sue Sudio, who sells 80s’ LPs and seven-inch singles in the Floppy Market, was incensed.

She said: “I’m incensed. If there’s one thing a food and drink event really needs it’s a stall selling 80s’ music on vinyl. I can’t understand why I was not consulted in the run-up to the event.

“Naturally I sat back and waited for the organisers to come to me and, when they didn’t, I decided the only route to take was to complain to the local newspaper.

“Nobody told me capitalism was about competing with other traders. I expect signs to be erected pointing to my shop every time there is an event in Petersfield.”

Ms Sudio, who reached number 12 in the charts in 1985 with the song Phil Collins, insisted she and her fellow traders were unaware of the festival until it was actually taking place.

“It wasn’t publicised very well,” she claimed. “Apart from all the signs around the town, 17 consecutive weekly supplements in the Petersfield Proust, mentions on local radio, campaigns on Facebook and Twitter, and the road being blocked off there was no indication anything whatsoever was taking place. Did I mention I was incensed?”

A spokesman for the festival organisers confirmed that Ms Sudio had been in touch with them following the event.

He said: “Ms Sudio was understandably disappointed that stallholders who had paid for the privilege of being part of a high-profile local event were visited by customers in preference to her.

“We are prepared to compensate her for this unnecessary oversight on our part by providing her with a free stall for next year’s event. It will be located between stalls selling bitter and sour grapes, and opposite a hard cheese specialist.”

Sweet dreams

A small selection of the sweets available at the Festival

Petersfield Food Festival was hailed an unmitigated success by the partners of town dental practice, Ing and Iller.

Senior partner Phil Ing enthused: “It went better than we could ever have hoped to be honest”, beaming one of those white and gleaming smiles that gives away someone who works in a dental practice - or with money to burn.

Ing’s partner Dr Iller was equally effusive, adding: “The predicted thunderstorms stayed away and the ratio of stalls selling sweets and sugary fare was much higher than last year.

“You always get a few hippy do-gooders trying to sell straw-infused products, but I was more than reassured at the sight of sugar sweet mountains and stall after stall of liquorice, bon-bons and fudge.

Petersfield folk turned up in their thousands to this year’s event, and most could be seen munching their way along the stalls. There were vendors selling meat, cheese, curry, jam, paella, olives and bread. But for every cheese stall there were at least 10 selling sweets.

“We have been turning people away this morning,” Dr Iller confirmed. “One unfortunate soul chipped one of his molars on some stale bread and another was surprised to discover she hadn’t bought stoned olives.

“The real benefit for us is the investment in the future, not the odd ciabatta-related injury but the sustained rotting of teeth and the forming of bad habits for the years to come.”