Quintet of celebrity chefs stir up the 2nd day crowd on Easter Day
A packed demonstration area of Chester Racecourse, following record crowds on the first day of the Festival this year, saw a star turn from celebrity chef, Lotte Duncan on Easter Day.
Lotte cooked a salmon pate with Melba toast, pork casserole with mashed potato and baked Alaska using Cheshire Farm ice cream for dessert, in her first cookery demonstration.
Lotte’s second demonstration featured Rarebit with peas, leeks and Montgomery cheddar, crumbly apple and Cheshire cheesecake, pink almond macaroons laced with gold leaf, followed by a biscuit cake.
Speaking on the stage, Lotte, who was at the Chester Food & Drink Festival for her first time, said: “I was really pleased to be asked to demonstrate at Chester. To me, it’s very important to support local producers and farmers. There’s so much excitement about food in Chester.”
Alan Coxon, who was voted among the top 10 TV chefs of the World, in a BBC poll across 100 countries, gave the final cookery demonstration of the day. Alan asked two members of the audience to assist him in making Panna cotta with liquorice and ginger shards of sugar work, chocolate fondant served with cherries flamed in brandy, a chocolate coffee pot and lamb stir fry.
Leigh Myers, executive chef at Ciro’s Restaurant at The Grosvenor Arms, Pulford and The Pheasant in Burwardsley, gave a fish masterclass on the main stage, cooking Tiger prawns for starter, followed by halibut with a Champagne, shallot and wild mushroom sauce and a chocolate dessert with shortbread fingers, raspberries, honeycomb and Bailey’s.
Brian Mellor, of Widnes, also cooked two courses of eggy bread, gypsy toast and asparagus and a pork dish, with rhubarb and red onion relish accompanied by a hot pot of potatoes.
Earlier in the day, Bhupinder Virdee-Lace, the winner of The Macdonald New Blossoms Hotel One Pot Cook Off, held on March 15 at the St.John Street, Chester venue, cooked her winning dish of chicken with a creamy courgette sauce, on the main stage and was presented with her prize by General Manager of The Macdonald New Blossoms Hotel, Kate Halewood.
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), Cheshire County Council, Made in Cheshire and North West Fine Foods and Visit Chester & Cheshire, the tourism board for Cheshire and Warrington.
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