TV chef Tom Kerridge is headline act at Liverpool Food and Drink Festival
Kings of the kitchen Tom Kerridge and Yotam Ottolenghi will join more than 160 Merseyside chefs and regional producers at the launch weekend of Liverpool Food and Drink Festival.
The event, now in its seventh year, runs from 19-21 September in the city's Sefton Park.
Both chefs will be demonstrating recipes from their latest books and will each be taking part in their own Q&A sessions and book signings during the course of the weekend.
The festival will also include a programme of live demos from celebrity chefs, as well as chefs from the likes of Slim’s Pork Chop Express and Almost Famous.
The Art School by Paul Askew will be bringing a pop-up fine dining restaurant, while Wirral caterers Pickled Walnut will be hosting a pop-up gastro pub.
Liverpool John Moores University will be giving visitors the chance to learn about the science of food with an area dedicated to innovative items like algae-derived ingredients and the world’s hottest chillis.
Visit Isle of Man will be bringing a taste of its most famous delicacies to the festival, from Manx kippers to queenies.
There will also be an edible garden, a real ale festival, a Champagne bar, a heavenly chocolate garden, a street food zone, a pub quiz, Kidz Kitchen and music from local musicians.
Yotam Ottolenghi - known for his signature style of marrying food from his native Israel with textures and flavours from the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia - is looking forward to the event.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to taking part in the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival this year, meeting local people with a passion for food and demonstrating some of the dishes that feature in my new book, which is published around that time.
“With any luck I will have some spare time to soak up the atmosphere and check out the local restaurants and producers, particularly those who will be putting on a feast in the middle of the city’s Sefton Park.”
Tom Kerridge, TV chef and the only publican to have received two Michelin stars for pub grub, commented: “I really like the sound of Liverpool Food and Drink Festival with the city’s pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and producers taking over a local park for the weekend.”
“The North West is gaining quite a reputation for its booming food and drink scene and I’m keen to see what the city has to offer.”
Denise Harris, Liverpool Food and Drink Festival Event Director, said: “It’s a real coup for us to have both Yotam Ottolenghi and Tom Kerridge at this year’s Liverpool Food and Drink Festival.
“Now in its seventh year, Liverpool Food and Drink Festival will be a real celebration of the city’s thriving food and drink scene in the middle of one of the city’s most beautiful parks.”
Once the weekend launch event comes to an end, festivities are set to continue for the rest of the week with a programme of food and drink events at restaurants,bars, pubs, cafes, and arts venues across the city.
Tickets start from £5 online and entry is free for children (under14).