A Taste of Winchester, the city’s foodie fortnight, drew to a spectacular close this weekend with the Community Long Lazy Lunch in The Square, capping off two weeks of celebrations that showcased the very best of Winchester’s food and drink scene.
A Taste of Winchester, once again, brought the city’s hospitality community together in style. It was organised by Winchester Business Improvement District (BID), food and drink PR Miranda Rocksmith, and a volunteer steering committee of local hospitality businesses and kindly sponsored by Dutton Gregory.
Blazing sunshine set the scene as 250 guests took their seats at a single, sweeping table running the length of The Square for a six-course al fresco finale feast. Teams from Bar Lento, Rick Stein Winchester and St James Tavern worked side by side as one kitchen, sending out course after course that were all devoured. Guests were serenaded throughout the afternoon by live performances from Winchester Acapella and Winchester Uke Jam, adding to an atmosphere that organisers describe as “Winchester at its very best”.
The lunch put a spotlight firmly on local talent and produce, with the collaborating restaurants building their menu around ingredients sourced from Hampshire’s larder as well as Southern Spain. Feedback from diners was overwhelmingly positive, with many already asking organisers when the next Taste of Winchester event will take place.
Canapé crown goes to St James Tavern. The results of the festival’s first-ever Canapé Competition have also been announced. Chefs from across Winchester were challenged to create a signature canapé built around a local Isle of Wight tomato. Each dish was added to menus across the city for the duration of the festival at £5–7. The public cast their votes throughout the fortnight, and the results are now in. St James Tavern’s winning canapé takes the inaugural title after a closely fought public vote with their Isle of Wight tomato arancini with home-smoked duck and IOW tomato caviar. In second place was Winchester Hotel and Spa, who presented Isle of Wight tomatoes marinated in Yarty black garlic vinegar, whipped Rosary goats cheese, basil oil, topped with micro coriander, on a rye cracker. And, in third was MIXA (formerly Yiayias), Isle of Wight heritage tomato and soy-cured tuna on a nori crisp.
Dr Paul Spencer, Executive Director at Winchester BID, said: “This year’s finale was everything we hoped it would be and more. Watching Bar Lento, Rick Stein Winchester and St James Tavern work as one team, in blazing heat, to deliver a six-course feast for 250 people, was a genuine highlight of the festival calendar. The fact that guests were already asking about next year before they had left the table tells you everything about the appetite for events like this in Winchester”.
Sarah Strangeway, of Bar Lento, said: “Cooking alongside Rick Stein Winchester and St James Tavern for 250 diners, in that heat, was no small feat, but it captured exactly what this festival is about. When Winchester’s hospitality businesses pull together, we can create something none of us could manage alone, and the reaction from diners on the day made every hour in that kitchen worthwhile”.
James Bennett from St James Tavern, winners of the inaugural Canapé Competition, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to take the title. This competition was all about celebrating local produce, and our chef Kris enjoyed building our canapé around Isle of Wight tomatoes. A huge thank you to everyone who voted for us, and congratulations to Winchester Hotel and Spa and MIXA on a brilliant second and third place”.
To find out more, follow @atasteofwinchester on Instagram and Facebook or visit atasteofwinchester.co.uk.
Video: A Taste of Winchester 2026 finale, the Community Long Lazy Lunch in The Square.
