TV chef Joe Hurd joins line-up at Clumber Park's Festival of Food and Drink

The event is set to take place on Saturday, September 18 and Sunday 19 this year.

The first chef to be announced for Saturday, Joe is a regular guest presenter on BBC 1’s Saturday Kitchen.

Now residing in the East Midlands, he is a proud Yorkshireman with Italian heritage, which has inspired and influenced his food from day one.

Joe will be sharing his passion and knowledge of traditional Italian recipes, ingredients and cooking techniques with the home cooks attending the show.

Festival director Bev Channell said: “Joe is a great addition to this year’s cookery theatre and will be a real hit with food lovers. We’re very excited to have him on board.

“We also are welcoming some exciting new street food companies as well as our favourite regular supporters to create a worldwide menu of flavours for visitors to enjoy. It will be great to see all these wonderful food companies in action again after such a difficult year.”

Amongst those new traders joining the Festival of Food and Drink for it’s eighth year is Pokéwaves, Nottingham’s first Hawaiian Poké restaurant, which serves authentic Poké bowls. It is joined by fellow Nottinghamshire local family business Power to The Poutine, which creates Canadian street food consisting of savoury topped double-cooked chips.

Fat Hippo, which has restaurants in Sheffield and Nottingham, also makes its festival debut with its American burgers.

End of social distancing and capacity restrictions will be a ‘huge boost for businesses’

The Festival of Food and Drink brings together around 150 artisan food and drink producers from the local area and beyond. Celebrity chefs host demonstrations and autograph signings while the School of Artisan Food offers workshops for both adults and children.

The festival vibe is enhanced by live music throughout the weekend, with the stage area surrounded by Street Food vendors, cocktail bars, breweries and Pop-Up cafes.

Ticket prices start from £10 in advance for the Festival of Food and Drink with free admission into Clumber Park included (usually £5 per adult).

VIP and family tickets are also available. Children aged five years and under are admitted free with a paying adult. For more info, visit www.festivaloffoodanddrink.com.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Sam Jackson, editor.