Celebrity chef turns up heat at festival event

8:50am Thursday 28th August 2008

THE third Bolton Food and Drink Festival kicks off tomorrow with celebrity chef Simon Rimmer cooking up a storm in Victoria Square.

Simon, who owns two top restaurants in Didsbury and Hale and has his own TV show, will officially open the festival by cooking a special Bolton dish using fresh, local ingredients.

The Bolton News’s own top chef Michael Harrison will also be demonstrating his culinary skills.

He will be at The Octagon Theatre hospitality suite on Friday and Saturday at 2pm for around an hour. Both events at the Octagon are free and tickets can be obtained from The Octagon Theatre box office.

Mike will be demonstrating how to cook three simple dishes from fresh local produce, supplied by FairTrade and trusted local suppliers.

Among the dishes he will be creating hand made chocolate truffles using FairTrade chocolate and an avocado, mango and prawn salad. He will also answer questions from the audience.

Mike said: “I am glad to be helping launch the third Bolton Food and Drink Festival which will showcase the best local produce from local suppliers.

“I have always tried to use local suppliers who I know produce great ingredients and I will be showing how to use good products to make simple healthy dishes in a matter of minutes.”

As part of the festival the Royal Balti House in Farnworth has launched a special catfish dish. The fish, which came from the waters of Bangladesh and is known locally as a tiger fish, measures 5ft long and 2ft wide and weighs in at a whopping 56kgs or 124lbs.

The fish will be sliced, marinated, cooked and served with a curry sauce especially for the festival.

The festival will also feature an evening ale trail where people can sample cask ales and listen to the history of Bolton pubs from Blue Badge guide Ray Hoerty.

After meeting at the library the trail starts at the Hen and Chickens at 6.30pm and ends with a hotpot supper at Ye Olde Man and Scythe.

Mike Harrison will also be doing his own Ready, Steady, Cook to create a meal for £5 in Victoria Square. For more details go to: www.visitbolton.

com/foodanddrinkfestival/