Chester Food & Drink Festival 2008 Celebrity Chefs. Who do you want to see?
The dates for the 2008 Chester Food and Drink Festival have been announced and Festival chairman Stephen Wundke wants to know which celebrity chefs the public most want to meet next Easter.
Chester Food and Drink Festival is planned for March 22nd to 24th 2008, Easter Saturday to Easter Monday and is moving to Chester Racecourse in this, the seventh year of the event. The Racecourse will have villages for produce from Cheshire and North Wales within it, together with sections for national and international produce, reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of Cheshire. The Festival is larger for 2008 and surrounded by a small village of stalls and displays, with more than 100 confirmed exhibitors already, as many as those who attended the 2007 Festival.
A Food and Drink Fringe Festival will also take place around the City in March 2008, with restaurants, bars and hotels all helping to make Chester the focus of food and drink within the UK. There will be theme nights, special family offers and accommodation promotions.
Stephen Wundke, chairman of the Chester Food and Drink Festival, said: “Chester is fast becoming a “must see’ destination in the UK for food and drink within the UK. This 7th year will be very exciting with more celebrity chefs and cookery demonstrations than ever before. There really will be something for everyone.”
He added; “Our celebrity chefs have proved to be an important draw for visitors. With so many featured on TV and on bookstalls, we are keen to find out who everyone would like to see in Chester. Visitors to our web site can leave an email to tell us who they want to see here during Easter 2008.”
February will see the start of the Festival celebrations with preliminary judging to find the four finalists for the Young Chef of the Year “cook off’ that will take place during the Festival. Also, there will be the announcement of the schools competition for Cheshire Junior Chef of the Year.
February will also see the staging of the annual Cheese Rolling competition on February 26th with increased teams, street stalls and live music, leading up to March when the Festival begins.
For more information about other events happening over the Chester Food & Drink Festival please visit www.chesterfoodanddrink.com.
Chester’s Food and Drink Festival is organised on behalf of Chester City Council with support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Visit Chester & Cheshire; the tourism board for Cheshire and Warrington, Cheshire County Council, Made in Cheshire and North West Fine Foods.
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Notes
2007 Visitor Survey
90% of visitors found the Festival met or exceeded expectations. 90% of visitors found the Festival presented average or higher value for money. 72% of visitors spent over £10, 26% over £20. 36% travelled over 15 miles to go to the Festival. 10% stayed in the City at a hotel. 82% will return next year.
The Gala Dinner and awards ceremony will ensure more than 400 people sample a gourmet menu sourced from leading producers in the North West. This is likely to be held on Tuesday March 25th 2008.
Festival brochures will be available across the City from February. Phone 01244 351609 for more details. For further information on the region go to www.visitchester.com. More general information at www.chesterfoodanddrink.com
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