Chefs and TV star in line-up for festival
TV chef Dean Edwards, foodie Andrew Nutter and CBeebies star Mr Bloom are the first names announced on the line-up for next year’s food and drink festival.
The festival returns for a second year on Saturday, March 16 and will take place in and around Rochdale Town Hall. It will feature live cooking demonstrations, an outdoor food and drink village and themed food workshops.
BBC ‘Masterchef ’ finalist Dean Edwards will be one of the chefs giving a live cookery demonstration. Edwards is a familiar face on ITV’s ‘Lorraine’ where he regularly cooks up family friendly recipes.
Edwards is the author of three cookbooks ‘Mincespiration’, ‘FeelGood Family Food’ and ‘Cook Slow’, with the latter featuring stress free recipes for slow cookers and conventional ovens.
Another live demonstration will be given by award-winning chef Andrew Nutter.
Since coming runnerup in the National Junior Cook of the Year competition aged just 13, Andrew has won multiple awards, including Lancashire Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year and Rochdale Man of the Year.
His restaurant, Nutter’s - which he launched when he was 20 years old - has just celebrated its 25th anniversary.
In 2016, he also opened a new gastropub, ‘The Bird At Birtle’.
Performing on the Family Stage will be kids’s favourite Mr Bloom.
His live stage show includes nursery songs, veggie stories and gardening games familiar to kids and parents from his popular CBeebies series.
The festival food theatre will be located inside the grade one listed town hall and there will be food stalls, live music, activities and bars in the surrounding area.
Councillor Janet Emsley, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “I’m very pleased to see this event returning next year.
“As well as chef demonstrations we will have a tempting range of food and drink stalls and another programme of fabulous entertainment.
“So if you are a local foodie business interested in trading at the festival, do get in touch with us now.”
More details will be confirmed later this month while tickets for chef demonstrations and Mr Bloom go on sale in January.
The festival will be held from 11am to 8pm.