Gloriously eccentric and refreshingly different The Onion Jack Festival looks to be an interesting addition to the autumn’s foodie event calendar. Hosted by Bridport’s award winning Washingpool Farm, the festival celebrates a unique Anglo-French relationship. The festival runs from this Thursday 22nd October until Sunday. I spoke to Jo from Washingpool to find out more:
For those who haven’t heard about the Onion Jack Festival, could you tell us what will be going on?
The Onion Johnnies from Roscoff in France were keen to organise a Onion Jack Tour to celebrate their history and past traditions. As part of their tour they decided they would row the channel and dock in West Bay harbour. For many years the Onion Johnnies have delivered to and sold their onions at Washingpool Farm Shop so it was decided that Bridport and Washingpool would be the perfect place to hold the 3 day Onion Jack Festival. The festival will begin with unloading onions from the boat onto a traditional horse and cart, followed by a procession of onion johnnies on bikes. The horse and cart will make its way through Bridport arriving at Washingpool Farm Shop at around 3pm. En route they will be stopping at Grove’s Nurseries for brunch and Palmer’s Brewery for a quick tour. Over the 3 days there will be food tastings, food sales, evening events and plenty of chances to meet the Onion Johnnies and see them in action.
Who are the Onion Johnnies?
The Onion Johnnies were traditionally Breton farmers and agricultural labourers who crossed the channel by boat and travelled on bicycles, selling distinctive pink onions door to door in Great Britain. Although the number of Onion Johnnies has since declined, they still visit England on a regular basis delivering their onions to around 100 different businesses across the country. However they have now swapped the bicycles for the modern day transit van!
What is special about Roscoff onions?
The Roscoff onions are renowned for their pink tinge and are subsequently known as rose onions. They are praised for their texture both raw and cooked and also their sweet and savoury flavour. The rose onions start to arrive in Britain in early Autumn and can be purchased from Washingpool Farm Shop.
What is the link with Dorset?
When the Onion Johnnies made their first trip to Great Britain they landed on the South Coast. They started selling their onions in the area before going further afield.
When are the Onion Johnnies expected to arrive in West Bay?
The Onion Johnnies are expected to dock the boat at about 9:30am on Thursday in West Bay harbour. They will then unload the onions and cargo onto a traditional horse drawn cart. The horse and cart, followed by a procession of Onion Johnnies on bikes, Washingpool staff and others will leave West Bay and head towards Washingpool Farm. They will be stopping at Groves Nurseries at 11am for brunch, Palmer’s Brewery at 12:30pm, Buckydoo square at 1:30pm, arriving at Washingpool Farm at 3pm.
You are proud advocates of local food. How does the festival fit with this ethos?
We try to source all our produce within a 50 mile radius, unfortunately half of this is sea! The onion johnnies are small-scale farmers like ourselves with a fantastic product – which we cannot source locally.
You have a series of three evening events. What can we expect from them and should we buy tickets for just one or all three?!
The three evening events are very similar, but we are hoping you will enjoy the first evening so much you will want to come back again! Tickets are £15 per person on each night which will include a bowl of delicious French onion soup and a drink on arrival. The evenings are set to include live French music from Electric Bazar Cie, an accordion player, acrobatics, dancing and bar. Delicious French foods will be available to purchase all evening.
Tickets for the evening events (Thursday, Friday and Saturday 6pm – 12pm) are available to purchase online or at Washingpool Farm Shop
What sort of specialities can we expect from the Breton stall?
The Breton stall will be selling quality, specialised products from France. You can expect to find crepes, charcuterie, artichokes, mussels and of course Roscoff onions as well as lots of other delicious foods.
The Breton Stall will be at Washingpool Farm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10am-3pm, with local producer tastings on Saturday and Sunday
What format will Tea Time with the Onion Johnnies take? Do we need to book or purchase a ticket?
The tea time with the Onion Johnnies will be an informal event where you will be able to have a chat with the Onion Johnnies whilst enjoying a tea/coffee and some delicious home-made Washingpool cakes. The cost will be £5 to include your tea and cake and can be paid on arrival – no booking necessary!
Tea Time with the Onion Johnnies will take place on Friday at 3pm at Washingpool Farmer’s kitchen
On the Friday there will be music and a charity food stall at Bucky Doo square. Can you tell us more about this? Who will you be raising money for?
We will be in Bucky Doo square from 12:00pm – 1:00pm on Friday and Saturday. There will be live French accordion music and we will be selling French Onion Soup, all proceeds will be given to the Mayor’s charities: The Richard Ely Trust for Young Musicians and The Royal National Institute on Blind People.
How will the Onion Jack Tour Sunday lunch differ to your usual Sunday offering? Do we need to book or purchase a ticket?
The Onion Jack Tour Sunday lunch will include a delicious French stew or vegetarian alternative served up in a communal laid back French style. Pre booking is advised as Sundays are very popular. Bookings can be made by phoning the Washingpool Kitchen on 01308 458958.
And finally, what are you personally most looking forward to about the festival?
We are looking forward to promoting and celebrating the long standing relationship between Dorset and Roscoff and bringing the two cultures together in this fun packed 3 day festival.
For more information call Washingpool Farm on 01308 459549 or visit www.washingpool.co.uk
Alison Smith @chefalismith
