A SEVEN-course feast will be served up as part of the first ever Bolton Food and Drink Festival.

The festival, which starts today, will celebrate all that is good in local food and drink.

Top chefs, pubs, restaurants, quality suppliers and Fairtrade outlets are all supporting the 11-day event.

As part of the festival Bolton chef Mike Harrison is cooking the seven course tasting menu at £35 a head and promises a feast to remember.

He will use fresh local ingredients for the feast, to be served tomorrow at Mere Hall, but give them a modern culinary tweak.

Mike is famous for his attention to detail and has cooked live at demonstrations and on television as well as running restaurants.

He trained as a chef at Bolton Community College in 1979 before working at the Briarfield Hotel and the Summerhill Hotel.

After a spell in Kent he returned to the North to set up a chilled food business before turning to corporate work.

On his return to Bolton, Mike opened a restaurant called Michael's in Crown Street.

Now he runs a company called Cheftogo.co.uk and a sister site michaelsoutside.co.uk, which delivers a dinner party to your house. Diners call him up, talk about what food they like and dislike and leave the rest to him and his team.

"We do everything for you - we bring the food and cook it in your kitchen and then serve it. Then we clean up, wash up and leave - you can enjoy your party knowing there's nothing to clean up," said Mike.

Alternatively diners can order three course restaurant standard meals from him which come with full cooking instructions.

For the seven course feast on Saturday Mike will be serving up traditional locally sourced ingredients like black pudding and fillet steak with a crusty Lancashire cheese topping. Wines will be served by R&R Fine Wines of Bury.

Last year Mike was nominated to be chef of the year for the Manchester Food Festival.

He supports the first Bolton Food and Drink Festival: "We are all a lot more adventurous about food as we travel more and a lot more people are trying different things. I think the festival will be a success."

Mike will be demonstrating his cooking skills live on Bolton Fish Market on Thursday October 12 using ingredients found on the fish and vegetable markets.

He plans to start at 10am through to 2pm and will hold four demonstrations, including one where someone collects random ingredients and he cooks them in the style of the TV programme Ready, Steady Cook.

"I will be using fish and vegetables and fruit from the market as well as herbs and will be cooking live in the fish section from 10am onwards - so come and see me."