Food

lovers in their thousands crammed the streets of Christchurch for the

first weekend of Christchurch Food & Wine Festival and the

International Food Market.

 

The

showery weather on Saturday did not deter people from coming to see

what was on offer at more than 100 stalls that lined the High Street and

to take their places in the audience for the cookery demonstrations in

the Rangemaster Cookery Theatre in Saxon Square.

 

A

variety of aromas filled the High Street as vendors sold sausages,

pasties, seafood, olives, bread, cheese, coffee and much more.

Stallholders reported good business on both days and some of town’s

traders said they had the busiest Sunday ever, as the weather improved.

 

The

Saxon Square marquee played host to a number of chefs, including the

Festival’s patron Lesley Waters and celebrity chefs Rose Elliot and

Cyrus Todiwala, who entertained the audience with anecdotes about the

authentic Indian dishes which have changed somewhat since their

inception in the Indian sub-continent. He told how he was amazed,

when he came to England, to see ‘curry’ being used as a generic term for

Indian cuisine, as it really should only refer to dishes cooked in

coconut milk.

 

There

were new demonstrations this year in ‘Cookafun’ sessions where two

chefs were given the same ingredients and had to come up with a variety

of dishes

using those ingredients in half an hour, with the audience judging which

should be the winner.

 

The

Festival’s President, Mary Reader, said: “It was fantastic to see so

many people of all ages coming along to see what was on offer. Although

the Festival was originally set up to help the businesses in the town,

it’s gratifying to see how it’s expanded to become a real community

event, with volunteers from many parts of the Borough, including many of

our schools. Our sponsors have also reported very tangible results from

their involvement.

 

“We

tried some new initiatives in the demonstration theatre this year which

were very well received. We are constantly looking to improve and

develop our ideas and we hope the many thousands of people who came

along found a lot to interest them and tantalise their taste

buds.”

 

The

Festival continues in restaurants, cafes, pubs and tea rooms until

Sunday 16 May, culminating in the charity dinner at the Lord Bute

Restaurant on Sunday.