Bolton Food and Drink Festival 2019 chefs revealed

Bolton Food and Drink Festival will have foodies flocking from all over and a host of celebrity chefs to boot.

MARY NAYLOR reports.

THE HAIRY Bikers are returning to Bolton Food and Drink Festival to headline this summer’s gastro-showcase.

Joining the fun-loving duo are the nation’s most famous greengrocer Gregg Wallace and festival favourite James Martin is also returning for the 11th time.

Michael Caines, a Devon-based chef, rounds off the list and will be showcasing his Michelin-starred cooking during the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers are returning after an eight-year hiatus, during which they have concentrated on filming for TV including The Hairy Bikers' Mississippi Adventure and Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight.

They last appeared at the festival in 2011 and will headline the second day of the festival, Saturday, August 24.

They said: "We are beyond excited about coming back to Bolton.

"We had such a great time last time we visited, and we’ve heard brilliant things about how the festival has grown since then.

"It’s a privilege to be coming back and it’s going to be lots of fun!”

Last year, the festival attracted more than 274,000 people and the event won ‘Best Market Attraction’ at the British Market of the Year awards earlier this year.

In 2017 the festival scooped the award for having the ‘Best Food Market’.

At last year's August Bank Holiday festival visitors enjoyed demonstrations from chefs Nadiya Hussain, James Martin, Ainsley Harriott and Michael Caines.

The 14th annual event, organised by Bolton Council in association with Aldi, will be held over the August Bank Holiday weekend, August 23 to 26.

Festival goers will be able to enjoy even more stalls than before selling a whole host of food, drinks and crafts, live music, a gin festival, masterclasses from regional celebrity chefs, street performers and a family zone.

Gregg Wallace, known for co-hosting MasterChef and presenting Inside the Factory, is appearing at the festival for the very first time.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to my first visit to the festival – I’ve heard lots of good things about it.

"I’ll be doing some cooking and am excited to meet some of the fantastic local producers and suppliers.”

Gregg will host a demonstration on Sunday, August 25.

Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines, who runs Lympstone Manor in Devon, will launch the festival on Friday, August 23 before hosting a gala dinner on the same night.

He said: "Bolton is always a highlight. It’s a great community event bringing people together and I can’t wait to come back.”

Festival-favourite James Martin returns to Bolton Food and Drink Festival for the 11th year. He will close the festival with a demonstration on Monday, August 26.

James said: "I love this festival. To see it grow from its early days to the mammoth event it is now is amazing. It’s an honour to be back.”

Bolton Council’s chief executive, Tony Oakman, said: “What a line-up of amazing chefs for our brilliant event.

“The festival is one of the best in the country and the highlight of our events calendar.

“It has put Bolton on the culinary map and attracts hundreds of thousands to our wonderful town.

“There will be more announcements to come ­— please make sure you’re following the festival on social media to keep up to date."

Ruth Doyle, regional managing director at Aldi, which sponsors the event added: “This will be our fifth year supporting the Bolton Food and Drink Festival and we’re really proud to be a partner again this year.

“Our local team will be there and are looking forward to sharing our award-winning products with the local community and visitors of Bolton. The headline chefs are part of a great line up and it’s sure to be a fantastic event.”

Tickets for the celebrity chef demonstrations and the special events are set to go on sale at the end of May.

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

Who are the chefs?

Michael Caines

Michael Caines is one of Britain's most acclaimed chefs. At Gidleigh Park, where he was at the helm for 21 years, he earned and held two Michelin stars.

Amongst numerous other accolades, Michael has cooked in 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister, was awarded AA Chef's Chef of the Year in 2007, and received an MBE in 2006 for services to the hospitality industry.

He opened a country house hotel Lympstone Manor, set in 28 acres of Devon countryside.

James Martin

James Martin was a regular chef on Ready Steady Cook (BBC2) before going on to present the hit BBC series Saturday Kitchen for 10 years, regularly attracting viewers in excess of 3.5 million. He now presents James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV.

His career began at Castle Howard where his father ran the catering and James often helped out.

He has gone on to publish 20 best-selling cook books including recent titles Fast Cooking: Really Exciting Recipes in 20 Minutes and James Martin’s French Adventure.

Opening in 2013, James Martin Manchester was listed in The Sunday Times Top 100 UK Restaurants for 2015/16.

Gregg Wallace

Gregg Wallace a familiar face to fans of the BBC’s MasterChef franchise, Gregg started his career as a greengrocer on Covent Garden Fruit and Veg Market.

Calling on his decades of experience in the food retail industry, Gregg fronts the popular Inside the Factory TV show, and other TV work includes Supermarket Secrets and Eat Well for Less.

A popular and engaging screen presence, Gregg has also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and Who Do You Think You Are?

He has published numerous books including Gregg's Favourite Puddings, Veg: The Greengrocer's Cookbook and Gregg's Italian Family Cookbook.

The Hairy Bikers

The Hairy Bikers since Si King and Dave Myers appeared on our screens in 2004, the fun-loving duo have travelled the world in search of good food.

Si and Dave’s culinary TV adventures haven taken them from Namibia to Mississippi and from South Korea to Transylvania.

Together they have written 15 books including the bestselling The Hairy Bikers’ Perfect Pies, 12 Days of Christmas and The Hairy Bikers’ Great Curries.

The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight knocked 50 Shades of Grey from the top of the bestseller chart in 2012, where it remained for six weeks.