The Seaham Food Festival kicked off today (Saturday August 6) with thousands of foodies descending on the County Durham coast to get a taste of the event.
Aromas of foods from around the world filled the air at the festival with over 100 stalls showcasing the best produce the region has to offer.
There were also performances of live music and demonstrations from famous faces including stars from TV’s MasterChef and Great British Bake Off, and local culinary talents.
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The two-day event returned to County Durham for the first time since all covid restrictions have been eased, and visitors arrived in their thousands to sample the food on offer.
Good weather welcomed those turning up for the free-to-enter event as queues formed at stalls from early in the morning.
MasterChef 2022 star Pookie Tredell kicked off the day’s cooking demonstrations with some fancy molecular gastronomy.
Later she told The Northern Echo: “This is my first time in The North East and I will definitely come back. I’m so happy to have had such massive support from the people of Seaham.
“I’m going to have a walk around all the stalls – I want to see everything!
“This is all such a big change since MasterChef but I’m having fun, this is something that I love and enjoy doing.”
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Throughout the day other famous faces took to the stage including Eat Well For Less presenter Chris Bevan, Great British Bake Off: The Professionals judge Cherish Finden, and local chefs Ryan Riley and North East Chef of the Year award-winner Kyle Greenwood.
As well as watching the cooking demonstrations visitors indulged in the food on offer including flavours from around the world, baking and cocktails with stalls selling everything from gourmet hot dogs to Armenian street food and Greek Gyros.
Speaking at the start of the event Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economy and partnerships, told The Echo: “We’re expecting several thousand people to come down over the weekend. It’s great to see everybody here enjoying themselves.
“It’s totally free and there’s plenty of entertainment for everyone including the kids.”
“Getting these events back after covid I think is hugely important. One of the things that suffered most was people’s emotional and mental wellbeing so getting out and about on a beautiful day and having something like this to enjoy is fabulous for everyone.”
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