Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides are celebrating two significant milestones this month: the first anniversary of its acclaimed Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Tour, in partnership with Our Bury St Edmunds independent BID businesses, and the achievement of welcoming its 150th participant.
Since launching one year ago, the tour has become a popular way for residents and visitors alike to discover the area’s thriving independent food and drink scene.
Tour participants enjoy a two and a half-hour food and drink themed tour of the town stopping off at six local businesses to try bite-sized samples of food and drink, hearing about the business and the local history of the building and location. Along the way they hear from the Guides about Cook’s Row, the Abbot’s feasts, and how a maltster almost destroyed the town and some of Bury’s food and drink history.
Over the past 12 months, 150 guests have completed the tour, and helped to shine a spotlight on the town’s growing reputation as Suffolk’s Foodie Capital.
Mark Cordell, CEO of Our Bury St Edmunds BID, said: “”One year ago, we set out to create an experience that would celebrate the incredible independent food and drink businesses that make our town centre so special. The idea was simple: bring people together, tell the town’s foodie history, the stories behind these fantastic businesses, and encourage visitors to explore places they may never have discovered otherwise.
“150 have experienced the tour in our first year, demonstrating the appetite people have for authentic local experiences and strengthening the town’s reputation as a destination for great food and drink.
“What has been particularly encouraging is hearing from participants who have returned to many of our businesses after the tour, whether to enjoy another beverage, pick up products they’ve discovered, or introduce friends and family to their new favourite spots. That’s exactly what we hoped the tour would achieve – creating lasting connections between residents, visitors and our fantastic independent businesses.
“It is especially fitting to celebrate this milestone as we approach Independents’ Day Weekend on 3 and 4 July. Over the past two weeks, we have been highlighting the importance of supporting local businesses through our campaign, and the success of the Food & Drink Tour shows just how much people value the unique independent businesses that make Bury St Edmunds town centre such a vibrant and distinctive place to visit.”
The tour features the following BID businesses: No5 Angel Hill, Procopio’s Pantry, Marimba, The Cheesehole, Blend, Lotties Artisan Waffles & Coffee, Midgar Coffee, Papaki’s Deli, Canto, Nethergate Brewery, The Wine Cellar, Vino Gusto, Vespers, Adnams, Hopsters, and Whitings Bar.
Bookings for the tours have been received from people living across England and even one visitor from Japan who was so attracted by the tour that she returned to visit Bury St Edmunds for a second time.
Adrian Tindall, Chairman of Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides, said: “Reaching our first anniversary and welcoming our 150th guest is a fantastic achievement. The success of the tour reflects the passion, creativity and hospitality of the participating independent BID businesses and we thank them for working with us on this tour. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has joined us over the past year and helped support our town’s local food and drink community.”
Places are available on the following 2026 tours which start at 2pm from Angel Hill:
2, 9, 16 & 23 July
6, 13, 20 & 27 August
17 September
10 September is sold out!
The Bury St Edmunds Food and Drink Festival takes place on Sunday August 30 and Monday August 31 from 10am to 5pm in the town centre. Free entry.
