Gainsborough festival to serve up feast of fun for foodies and gardeners

Organisers have prepared a busy programme of demonstrations as well as a range of traders from the popular continental street market and some delicious local and regional producers.The event, which opens on Friday, will take place on Market Place, Market Street, Lord Street and Church Street in the town centre, with Dutch Flowers on Tour at Marshall’s Yard in their piazza area.

Gainsborough mayor Keith Panter said: “Gainsborough Town Council is really pleased to be part of the partnership delivering such a great event for the town. To be able to host an event of this scale within our town is fantastic."

The demo kitchen on the Market Place on Saturday will feature local chefs from some of the town’s restaurants from 10am until 4pm and the Michelin award-winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli will also be cooking up some delicious dishes at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Gardening and floral demonstrations will take place from 11am until 3pm on Saturday, including tips from local gardening expert Doug Stewart.Anyone taking part in Gainsborough’s Bake-Off competition need to take their bake to the Market Place information stand by 4pm, where bakes will be judged by Jean-Christophe Novelli, local dignitaries and the bake-off sponsors Wilson and Co.On Sunday, Katie Ashworth from BBC children’s show “I Can Cook” and Madame Zucchini from Britain’s Got Talent will be taking to the stage in the demo kitchen.There will also be free activities for children throughout the weekend in the ‘Kid’s Craft Corner’ sponsored by the town’s local Estate Agents, Hunters.Coun Panter said: "It is great to see such a varied programme being delivered throughout the weekend, with a host of different street foods from across the globe alongside the best of Lincolnshire’s local produce coupled with entertainment, cookery demonstrations , children’s activities and of course there are a number of celebrities that will feature across the weekend’s programme including Jean-Christophe Novelli.

"We hope the event really is a celebration of not just food and gardens but also Gainsborough itself.”

Centre manager at Marshall’s Yard, Alison Shipperbottom, added: “This is the town’s first food and garden festival and we are really looking forward to putting on a fantastic weekend of activities and entertainment as well as seeing people enjoy all of the delicious dishes served from around the globe.”