Tempt your taste buds this weekend

Prepare your taste buds for a local produce extravaganza as Plymouth Flavour Fest 2009 returns to Plymouth’s Piazza this Friday for three days.

Taking place from 14th – 16th August on Plymouth City Centre’s Piazza and a key date in the Plymouth Summer Festival, Flavour Fest is set to be the highlight of the south west’s food and drink calendar.

The event boasts some of the best stalls – packed with tasty offerings from fine food producers from across the region, there will be plenty of delicious food on offer. There’s a welcome return also, of the popular Castles Kitchens Cookery Theatre where top chefs will be showcasing inspiring techniques and delicious recipes.

As well as cookery demos, Cookery Theatre will also play host to a culinary clash of the titans as radio presenter Gordon Sparks, from the Plymouth Breakfast Show, BBC Radio Devon, goes head to head with Plymouth Raiders Captain, Allister Gall, for the annual Ready Steady Cook competition at 12:30pm on August 14.

Friday lunchtime will see the worlds of sport, media and cookery coming together when star chefs Matt Corner and Peter Gorton team up with their celebrity partners for the ultimate cook off.

There is something for the whole family at Plymouth Flavour Fest. This year will see the return of the hugely successful, ‘Kids in the Kitchen Marquee’ with even more opportunities to get hands on with food. Younger visitors will be able to have a go at bread, pasta and burger making, fun with food science and of course have the chance to eat what they’ve made.

Eve Wooldridge, BID retail manager at Plymouth City Centre Company said: “We have lots of great events taking place as part of Plymouth Flavour Fest which work perfectly alongside our wide range of producers who will be attending. Year on year Plymouth Flavour Fest grows and this year is no exception; it looks set to be a huge success.

“With so much going on over this free entry, three day event there really is something for everyone. And with all day parking in Western Approach car park for just five pounds there’s no need to rush off early. Make the most of this opportunity to see so many fine food producers all in one place at one time and join us for Plymouth Flavour Fest 2009.”

Now in its sixth year, Flavour Fest has a strong base of traders returning year on year. Fine food producers from Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset will be offering locally produced food, including traditional and rare breed meats, local vegetables, seafood, pies, cakes, cheese, sausages, luxury fudge, chocolates, chutneys and preserves and plenty more besides.

The free entry event, which expected to attract more than 100,000 people over the three days is organised by Plymouth City Centre Company, and once again supported and sponsored by, Castes Kitchens, Lawsons, St Austell Brewery, Langage Farm, Westaways Sausages, Wyld Meadow and Gaymer Cider.

A key event in the Plymouth Summer Festival (plymouthsummerfestival.com), Flavour Fest 2009 is set to be the highlight of the south west’s food and drink calendar.

For more information about Plymouth Flavour Fest, visit plymouth.gov.uk/flavourfest.