If you’re looking for a day out that blends inspiration, flavour and a touch of celebrity sparkle, this one’s for you. I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away for Sunday 21st June 2026 at the BBC Good Food Show Summer and BBC Gardeners’ World Live, taking place at the NEC in Birmingham.
How to Enter
I’m giving away a pair of tickets, meaning one winner will get entry for two people to attend the show on Sunday 21st June 2026.
To enter visit gleam below:
If you love food, kitchen gadgets, celebrity chefs or wandering around eating your body weight in free samples, the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC Birmingham is honestly such a good day out.
I’ve been visiting the BBC Good Food Shows for years now, both the Summer and Christmas shows, and I’ve gone with pretty much everyone at this point. My mum, my sister, friends, Arlo and even a GCSE Food group from school. Every single time I come home with a bag full of random foodie purchases I absolutely did not plan on buying.
Yes, it gets busy. If you arrive right as the doors open then expect crowds, queues and people aggressively clutching tote bags full of artisan chutney. But the NEC is huge, so it never feels unbearable once you’re actually inside.
For me, the best part is the atmosphere. One minute you’re watching a celebrity chef cook live on stage, the next you’re sampling locally sourced honey from a tiny independent business before somehow ending up convinced you need another kitchen gadget you absolutely do not have room for.
One thing I really love about the BBC Good Food Show is that it genuinely appeals to so many different people. If you’re obsessed with cooking shows, gardening, baking, food trends or just trying new things, there’s something to enjoy. One of my favourite moments was watching Mary Berry chatting about kitchen gardens with a presenter from Gardeners’ World, it felt oddly cosy and wholesome while still being really informative.
If you’re worried about cost, honestly, it’s as expensive as you make it. There are loads of free samples throughout the day, and some of the bigger brands really go all out. Of course, if you’re a food lover then you probably will end up buying things, but that’s kind of part of the fun.
What to Expect at BBC Gardeners’ World Live
One thing that makes the BBC Good Food Show even more worth visiting is the crossover with the BBC Gardeners’ World Live show, which runs alongside it at the NEC. If you enjoy gardening, growing your own food, flowers or outdoor living, it adds so much more to the overall day out.
I actually love the combination because it feels really complementary. You can spend part of the day watching cooking demonstrations and tasting food, then wander through beautiful garden displays, shopping stalls and talks linked to growing your own ingredients and outdoor spaces. It’s also probably why the event appeals to such a wide age range there’s genuinely something for everyone.
Sunday’s line-up includes familiar faces – presenters from the show and featured gardeners who’ll all be taking to the stage. You’ll also be able to explore beautifully designed Show Gardens, wander through Beautiful Borders, and get up close with some incredible blooms in the Floral Marquee.
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What Is the BBC Good Food Show Actually Like?
If you’ve never been before, it’s basically part food festival, part shopping event and part live entertainment.
The NEC gets transformed into huge sections filled with independent food producers, big household brands, cooking theatres, book signings, kitchen gadgets, drinks stands and live demonstrations. You can quite easily spend an entire day there without realising how much time has passed.
One thing I really enjoy is that it never feels like just a shopping event. There’s genuinely a lot to watch and learn as well. I love cooking anyway, so seeing professional chefs work live, hearing little tips and techniques and watching how they handle ingredients is really interesting. Some of the demonstrations are surprisingly funny too, especially when chefs start interacting with the audience or things don’t quite go to plan.
I also think the BBC Good Food Show does a really good job of balancing big brands with smaller independent businesses. You’ll obviously see the well-known names, but some of the best finds are tiny businesses selling things you’d probably never come across otherwise. I’ve discovered local honeys, chutneys, sauces, seasonings and handmade treats there that I’ve ended up buying again afterwards.
And yes, there are samples everywhere. Some stalls are more generous than others, but if you like trying new foods then you’ll absolutely enjoy wandering around tasting bits as you go. My biggest mistake is always turning up saying I’ll “just have a browse” and then somehow leaving carrying bags of snacks, kitchen gadgets and random foodie purchases I definitely didn’t need.
Celebrity Chefs and Live Demonstrations
One of the biggest reasons people visit the BBC Good Food Show is for the live cooking demonstrations and celebrity chef appearances – this is probably my favourite part too.
Over the years I’ve seen some brilliant chefs and presenters there, and what I really like is that the demonstrations never feel overly formal or scripted. Some are genuinely hilarious, especially when audience members get involved or chefs start joking around with each other. The atmosphere inside the larger auditoriums can feel really lively and chaotic in the best possible way.
I also love how much you can actually learn from watching. Even as someone who teaches Food and Nutrition, I still come away picking up little ideas, techniques or inspiration. Seeing professional chefs cook live is really different to just watching a polished TV edit at home.
One thing I really enjoyed was seeing Mary Berry doing a talk linked to Gardeners’ World about kitchen gardens and growing your own ingredients. That crossover between food, gardening and cooking made the whole event feel really wholesome and interesting rather than just a shopping day out.
I actually think this is why the BBC Good Food Show appeals to such a wide age range. My mum loves the gardening and demonstrations, I love the foodie side and cooking inspiration, and even when I took GCSE students there they genuinely enjoyed seeing cooking brought to life outside of the classroom.
If you do want to watch the bigger celebrity chefs, I’d definitely recommend checking timings in advance and arriving a little early because the most popular demonstrations fill up quickly.
Is the BBC Good Food Show Worth Visiting?
If you enjoy food in any capacity then yes, I genuinely think the BBC Good Food Show is worth visiting at least once.
I think sometimes people assume it’s only for serious cooks or people with expensive kitchens, but that really isn’t the vibe at all. You’ll see everyone there, couples, groups of friends, retired people, people obsessed with baking shows, gardeners, foodies and people who just want a different sort of day out.
It can be busy, especially first thing in the morning when everyone is arriving, but because the NEC is such a huge venue it spreads out quite well once you’re inside. I’ve honestly never left thinking it wasn’t worth the trip.
I also think it’s one of those events where you can completely tailor the experience to yourself. If you want a full shopping day and plan to buy loads, you can. If you mainly want to watch demonstrations, collect samples and browse, you can do that too.
Personally, I actually think Sunday can be one of the best days to visit. A lot of vendors start reducing stock towards the end of the weekend, especially food items they don’t want to transport back, so you can sometimes get really good deals later in the day.
Would I say it’s ideal for young children? Probably not as a full family day out unless they’re particularly interested in food or cooking. There’s a lot of walking, crowds and standing around demonstrations. But older children, teenagers and especially GCSE Food students absolutely get something out of it. When I took students there, they loved seeing cooking presented in such a different environment and it sparked loads of conversations afterwards in lessons.
For me though, the biggest reason I keep going back is that it always feels inspiring. I come home wanting to cook more, try new ingredients and completely reorganise my kitchen despite having absolutely no space left for more gadgets.
One of the things I love most is the huge variety of stalls. You can meet independent businesses and small producers doing amazing things across all kinds of cuisines, from clever ingredient swaps to beautifully packaged treats you won’t find on the high street. At the same time, big-name brands often use the show to showcase their latest launches and offer exclusive discounts.
I still remember trying Two Farmers crisps for the first time at this event, now they’re a firm favourite in our house, and we always pick up a pack when we spot them. Another memorable find was Urban Herbs, where I picked up some more unusual plants like chocolate mint. Here’s a Fab guide to air drying herbs you grow yourself And yes, my Monstera from the show is still alive – which says a lot, given my track record with houseplants.
Seeing Nadiya Hussain cook live in the Big Kitchen was a real highlight. She shared an affordable, accessible recipe and had a way of making the whole thing feel personal and relaxed, just like being in a friend’s kitchen. Getting a chance to have a book signed and meet one of my heroes was fab! Over on the Gardeners’ World Live stage, hearing Mary Berry talk about her own gardening journey was equally inspiring. I loved how she tied together the joy of cooking and the importance of growing your own food something I feel strongly about, especially from a sustainability perspective.
Tips Before You Visit the BBC Good Food Show
After going several times now, there are definitely a few things I’d recommend if you’re visiting the BBC Good Food Show for the first time.
First of all: wear comfortable shoes. You will do far more walking than you expect, especially if you spend the entire day there like I usually do.
I’d also recommend taking a reusable shopping bag because even if you tell yourself you’re “not buying anything”, you probably will. Between sauces, snacks, seasonings, kitchen gadgets and random foodie impulse purchases, it adds up quickly.
If you’re travelling by car, the NEC is actually really straightforward to get to and parking is well organised, but give yourself extra time if you’re arriving first thing because it can get busy around the entrances. The NEC is also really easy to reach by train, which honestly removes a lot of the stress.
One of my biggest tips is not to over-plan your day too much. Yes, it’s worth checking demonstration times for celebrity chefs you really want to see, but some of the best parts are just wandering around discovering smaller independent businesses you wouldn’t normally come across.
And definitely do not arrive starving thinking you’ll “save room” for later because the samples start immediately and your entire day somehow becomes built around snacking.
If you can, I’d also recommend staying for most of the day rather than rushing around for a couple of hours. There’s far more to see than people expect, and I always find the atmosphere feels a bit more relaxed later in the afternoon once the initial morning crowds calm down.
Finally, if you’re flexible, Sunday can actually be a really smart day to visit. I’ve found over the years that some stalls start discounting products towards the end of the event rather than taking stock home, so you can occasionally grab some really good bargains.
I always leave the show feeling completely inspired. Whether it’s new ingredients to experiment with, fresh tools for the kitchen, or a long-overdue motivation boost to sort out my garden for summer – there’s something that always sticks. It’s a great way to kick off the season and soak up the atmosphere of everything I love in one place.
Entries close on 1st June 2026 and winners will be contacted via email by myself.
Terms and Conditions
Tickets are valid for Sunday 21st June 2026 only and cannot be swapped for another day. Travel and accommodation are not included. Tickets cover general show entry, not paid extras like workshops or theatre sessions. Winners will be selected at random and contacted by email. You must respond to email within 24 hours to claim your prize or it will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected at random. One winner will receive a pair of tickets, sent electronically. Participation implies acceptance of these terms, and the promoter reserves the right to amend or withdraw the competition at any time. No purchase is necessary to enter or win
For more details on the event, visit
The BBC Good Food Show is held at the NEC Birmingham, which is easily accessible by both car and train.
I’d personally recommend allowing most of the day if you can. There’s far more to see than people expect between shopping, samples, demonstrations and celebrity chef appearances. Then do not forget your ticket also covers entry to the gardeners world show too!
Older children and teenagers who enjoy cooking or food will probably enjoy it most. I’ve taken GCSE Food students before and they absolutely loved it. Younger children may find it a little busy and overwhelming for a full day.
It really depends how much shopping you want to do. There are plenty of free samples and demonstrations included, but if you love food then it’s very easy to leave with bags full of treats and kitchen gadgets.
Comfortable shoes and a reusable shopping bag are essential. You’ll do a lot of walking and there’s a very high chance you’ll buy more than you planned.
Yes! I actually think Sunday can be one of the best days to go. Some exhibitors start discounting products towards the end of the weekend, so you can sometimes pick up really good deals.
Last Updated on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 by Lavania Oluban
