Foodie Stars get Fired Up for the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival

Paul Hollywood, Lisa Faulkner, Tom Kitchin, Aiden Byrne, The Fabulous Baker Brothers and Norman Musa have all confirmed they will be taking part in the launch of this year’s Liverpool Food and Drink Festival, which takes place from 1st-2nd September 2012 in Sefton Park.

The star line up will be sharing some of their best cooking secrets during a series of celebrity cookery demonstrations, which will be taking place during the launch weekend. Wallasey-born, 'Great British Bake Off' judge, Paul Hollywood, will also be hosting the 'Great Merseyside Bake Off', as part of this year's event.

Top Malaysian chef, Norman Musa, will be offering tips and cookery classes on Malaysian cooking, while Lisa Faulkner will be demonstrating favourite recipes from her bestselling book.

While Tom Kitchin, Aiden Byrne and The Fabulous Baker Brothers, will be challenged to create a selection of tasty treats, using the finest ingredients from food suppliers and local producers taking part in the festival, including Bessy Beck Trout Fishery, Port of Lancaster Smokehouse and the Chilli Pepper Company.

Visitors to the event will have the chance to watch celebrity chefs cook in the open air on a specially designed grill and also sample some of their mouth-watering creations.

The festival, organised by Liverpool-based SK Events, is celebrating its fifth year as one of the city’s top annual events. Denise Harris, Managing Director at SK Events, said: -

It's great to see how much the festival’s reputation has grown over the years and we are delighted to have had such strong interest from some of the country's most respected and successful food stars. The Liverpool Food & Drink Festival has been a highlight of the foodie calendar for the last four years, and we look forward to staging another fantastic event this year. Most of the city's top restaurants and bars have already committed to taking part, as well as some of the region’s most interesting local producers.

Thousands are expected to flock to Sefton Park for the Liverpool Food & Drink Festival, which will showcase the best of the region’s food and drink scene.

Visitors will have the chance to sample delights from more than 100 different restaurants, bars and producers, and pick up a few tips from the experts during a series of seminars and demonstrations.

This year's event includes a heavenly chocolate garden, where people can have a go at making their own chocolate. Liverpool's most renowned real ale pub, the Ship & Mitre, will be hosting a beer festival, while Cono Sur vineyards and winery will be running some fantastic wine tasting sessions.

We're hugely excited about taking part in the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival. The city has a great vibe with a fantastic food and drink scene, which is all going to be transported to the middle of Sefton Park for the weekend. We really are passionate about carefully sourced, good quality seasonal ingredients and we are looking forward to working with local food suppliers and producers at the event.

Tom Herbert, fifth generation baker and one half of the Fabulous Baker Brothers

There will be plenty of fun for budding young foodies with a dedicated children’s area, where young people can learn all about where their food comes from. As well as taking part in cookery demonstrations and workshops, children will also have the opportunity to meet some of the animals from Church Farm.

Visit www.liverpoolfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk to buy tickets and to keep up on the latest news from the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival,