THE newly refurbished vaults beneath the Market Place Shopping Centre will play a central role in this year’s Bolton Food and Drink Festival.

Cookery demonstrations by celebrity chefs will take place in the Victorian vaults when the famous festival comes back to Bolton for an 11th year this summer.

It has also been suggested that the festival’s opening ceremony could be held in the stunning new venue — which has been restored as part of the multi-million redevelopment of the Market Place.

Tim Vaughn, chief executive of Market Place owners Moorgarth, said he wants the vaults — which already boasts a Nando’s, Prezzo and the Great Ale bar — to be a focal point for the festival.

He said: “We are going to have cookery demonstrations in the vaults and we are hoping to actually have the opening ceremony here.

“We will have all sorts going on, it is a great festival and we are really pleased to be playing a big role in it.”

Mr Vaughn was speaking at a business launch event for the festival — which takes place between August 26 and 29 — and said he wants the iconic vaults to become “the main foodie area for the town”.

He added: “We hope that what we are creating here is putting Bolton back on the map in terms of a place to visit and to eat and drink and the food festival really helps with that — it is a great event.”

One of the chefs who will be showcasing his skills in the vaults in August is Radcliffe lad Robert Owen Brown, famed for his work at Manchester’s Mark Addy.

He said: “I am a local lad and I always love coming to the Bolton Food Festival.

“It is one of the premier food events in the country and so it should be, because when it comes to food in the north of England — no one can beat us.”

He said he was very impressed by the renovated vaults venue, adding: “What’s going on here is a fantastic use of space and I’m looking forward to doing some demos here.”

Joining Robert in the vaults in August will be festival debutants and wine experts Oz Clarke and Kate Goodman who will be showing off their knowledge with a series of talks and demonstrations.

Other big names heading for Bolton include Great British Bake-Off winner Nadiya Hussain, Masterchef host John Torode, Michelin-starred Michael Caines and TV star James Martin.

While there will be lots of action in the vaults, Bolton Market will continue to host regional chef cookery demonstrations on Friday and Saturday.

For updates visit www.boltonfoodanddrinkfestival.com, follow Bolton Food and Drink Festival page on Facebook or @boltonfoodfest on Twitter.