A LIVE cookery contest featuring stars of a hit TV show, a celebrity chef and pop-up restaurant will be among the highlights of a food festival next month.
The full line-up for Bishop Auckland Food Festival has been announced and it features small screen stars alongside more than 150 of the region’s finest food and drink producers.
The annual event, which attracts thousands of visitors, will be held on Saturday 18th April and Sunday 19th April in Bishop Auckland Market Place, Bishop Auckland Town Hall and the grounds of Auckland Castle.
Simon Rimmer, presenter of Sunday Brunch and its spin-off Daily Brunch, will make a return to the event to cook up delicious dishes using fresh produce from stallholders.
Bake Off favourite Glenn Cosby will host a Battle of the Bakers and fellow series four contestant Kimberley Wilson will take on Cat Dresser from series three in a test of their baking knowledge.
CBBC presenter Stefan Gates and CBeebies star Katy Ashworth will both be back to present free sessions as part of the festival’s Kids’ Club which was a big hit when it launched last year.
Ivor Peters, better known as the Urban Rajah, will be executive chef at the Great Indian Feast pop-up restaurant in the castle grounds, working with students from Bishop Auckland College.
The festival will also feature food and drink master classes, open-air cookery demonstrations, children’s activities and street entertainers.
Organised by Durham County Council in partnership with the Auckland Castle Trust and Bishop Auckland Town Council, the festival showcases the best home-grown and handmade produce from County Durham and the wider region.
Durham County Councillor Neil Foster, cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “The food festival is a fantastic event not just for Bishop Auckland but also for the wider area.
“As well as offering a great day out for all the family, it gives stallholders, who come from around the region, a platform on which to showcase their produce and boosts the regional economy by hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“More than 34,000 attended last year’s food festival and with another great line-up planned for 2015, I’m sure we can expect the crowds to turn up in force once again.”
For details visit the website www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk and to book places for ticketed events call 03000 262626.
Source: www.bishopaucklandtownteam.org/
