ORGANISERS of the Great Malvern Food Festival hailed another successful event after thousands of people had their taste buds tickled over the bank holiday weekend.
About 4,000 people packed into the grounds of Great Malvern Priory Church on Monday (25 May) to enjoy some delicious food and live entertainment throughout the day.
Morsels were on offer from more than 60 suppliers selling everything from local sausages to home made fudge. There were also flavours from the Caribbean, Mexico and South Africa to savour.
Other highlights of the day included cookery demonstrations by Michelin trained chef Jason Lynas, from the Terrace on the Hill restaurant in Great Malvern, Marina Ibrahim who showcased some of the secrets of Egyptian cuisine and Lizzy Hughes, owner of Our Lizzy vegetarian cookery school in Malvern.
There was also a First World War demonstration to show people how to cook simple recipes using basic seasonal ingredients.
Live music during the day came from acts including accordion player Alan Piano Smith and The Madi Stimpson Duo while the crowds enjoyed some onion juggling from stilt walking entertainer Monsieur Doo.
Malcolm Salisbury, economic development officer at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “This was certainly our busiest year yet with not only the largest number of stalls we’ve ever had but about 4,000 people coming through the church grounds during the day and about 1,500 people through the church itself.
“By mid-afternoon a lot of stalls had sold out and almost all of the stallholders have expressed an interest in returning next year and we’re certainly keen to build on this success.
“It just shows the power of local produce and the demand there is for local food.”
