Simon Rimmer: Why Chester Food festival is the best

Mar 24 2008

THOUSANDS of food lovers braved the weather to enjoy of this year’s Chester Food and Drink Festival.

The three-day Taste Festival, held at the new Chester Racecourse venue, kicked off on Saturday with two celebrity cookery demonstrations from TV chef Simon Rimmer.

Today, Bank Holiday Monday, the special guest will be Mike Robinson, presenter of UKTV’s Food/Style and Gardens – Heaven's Kitchen, Heaven's Kitchen Cookbook and Heaven's Garden.

Lord Mayor of Chester Cllr Jim Latham opened the weekend’s festivities, now in their seventh year.

A producers’ market featuring more than 100 stalls of local goods – including cheeses, meats, fruit, vegetables, ice cream, shrimps, salmon, cider and homemade chocolates and preserves – reported record sales.

Over the course of the festival, visitors could take part in a host of events such as wine, beer, champagne and cheese tastings, cookery demonstrations and competitions.

Stephen Wundke, chairman of the Chester Food and Drink Festival, said: “There’s a food revolution in Cheshire and Simon Rimmer is at the centre of it. We are delighted Simon has returned to Chester’s Food and Drink Festival for the fourth time.”

Mr Rimmer said: “Chester is one of my favourite festivals. It’s a great festival, and there are more people here than ever packed in. Cheshire has fantastic food producers, brilliant people and produce. The North West of England has the most diverse agriculture in the whole of Europe.”

Cllr Latham opened the Taste Festival events on stage by plunging an iron into a slab of Joseph Heler’s cheese held by the television chef, known as the resident chef on BBC’s Something For the Weekend and for his appearances on BBC 2’s Recipe for Success and Granada’s Grub’s Up.

It wasn’t just any cheese, having been carried around Chester’s historic walls to mark the start of the cheese rolling competition which took place earlier this month.

In his speech to mark the official opening, Cllr Latham said: “I would like to congratulate Stephen and his helpers in setting up such a marvellous festival.

“As the Mayor of Chester, I welcome anything that brings people to this city and this festival does bring people in from across the region.”

Chefs David Mooney, of The Belle Epoque in Knutsford, The Duke of Portland Hotel in Northwich and The George & Dragon in Tarvin; and Alan Coxon, who was voted among the top 10 TV chefs of the world in a BBC poll, were among the chefs giving demonstrations over the weekend.

The festival ends with a gala dinner tomorrow night.