PEOPLE flocked in their thousands to one of the North's largest food and drink celebrations - despite freezing temperatures and rain.

The three day Dales Festival of Food and Drink opened near Leyburn on Saturday (May 2), for a gastronomic celebration of the region.

Dozens of local producers attended the event, with a huge array of products created locally, ranging from cooking oils to handmade popcorn and spirits, beers and ciders.

Despite today’s rainy start (Sunday, May 3) people turned up in force to the festival in Wensleydale, which traditionally attracts in the region of 12,000 visitors and is the largest event on the region's gastronomic calendar.

A steady-line up of top chefs were also featuring in the event, demonstrating dishes in the cookery theatre.

They included former MasterChef finalist Tom Morrell, who reached the finals in BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals and who runs the kitchens at The Saddle Room in Coverdale.

Tomorrow (Monday, May 4) Stephen Bulmer, from Swinton Park Cookery School near Masham will return to the festival’s theatre marquee. He has more than 20 years’ experience at Michelin-level restaurants in Europe and was once described by Raymond Blanc as one of his most experienced chefs.

Also providing a demonstration was catering student Sue Brown, who last year was amongst the audience at the food festival cookery demonstrations. She was so inspired by a patisserie demonstration given by Darlington College tutor Donna Joyce, that she signed up for a catering course.

Twelve months on she is honing her skills on the Level 3 City and Guilds patisserie and confectionary course and this morning (Sunday, May 3) helped Donna demonstrate the craft at this year’s show.

“We took shelter from the cold last year in the food theatre and Donna was so inspiring I decided I would like to give it a go,” said Sue, originally of Guisborough, who now lives in Richmond.

“I’d always enjoyed baking but had a fairly narrow repertoire. I’d just finished a contract with the NHS in Middlesbrough and Newcastle and fancied doing something different, something for me. The course has been fantastic and I have learnt so much, particularly about artisan bread making.”

Donna said: “Sue is passionate about baking and a pleasure to be in the kitchen with. I was looking for help with the demonstrations and she was only too pleased to volunteer.”

The festival is also a celebration of farming and featured livestock tents and demonstration of rural skills such as dry-stone walling and beekeeping.

There were also workshops, live music and talks from authors Gervaise Phinn and Mike Pannett, to entertain the crowds with their tales from North Yorkshire.

The festival is organised by the Leyburn and Mid-Wensleydale Partnership, a charity which ploughs any financial surplus from the event back into community causes.

The festival continues tomorrow (Monday, May 4).