Families are set to enjoy some deliciously good days out as Bishop Auckland Food Festival (BAFF) returns for 2016.
The annual showcase of great North grub will bring over 150 producers and traders together for a weekend of foodie fun on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April.
Cllr Neil Foster, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration and culture, said: “This is the hottest event in the county’s culinary calendar, with more than 38,000 people visiting last year.
“It is a fantastic event not just for Bishop Auckland but also for the wider area.
“As well as offering a great day out for all the family, it gives stallholders, who come from around the region, a platform on which to show off their produce.
“It also boosts the regional economy by hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“With another great line-up planned for 2016, I’m sure we can expect the crowds to turn out in force once again.”
This year BAFF will welcome everything from brilliant barbecue to truly tempting chocolate, with masterclasses for both adults and children, a range of cracking craft beers, wines and spirits, the “Big Bish Bake-Off” and the return of the legendary Bishop Auckland Pancake Race.
The festival’s pop-up restaurant, sponsored by Sainsbury’s and Bishop Auckland College, returns, this time in the form of an Indian street food bazaar.
The “Urban Rajah” and his team will be cooking up mouth-watering “burotis” – roti style wraps packed with chicken, lamb or paneer cheese, basmati rice and zesty kachumber salad.
Visitors will also be able to get more hands on than ever before with masterclasses in charcuterie making, cheese tasting, chocolate making, knife skills, wine tasting or gin making.
For the children there’ll be pizza-making, fun with the Whalley Range All-Stars Pig theatre, The Vegetable Nannies and The Liver Cottage Kitchen.
And if the food all gets too much adults can always visit the ever-popular Tipple Tent.
BAFF is a Durham County Council event supported by Bishop Auckland Town Council and The Auckland Castle Trust.
Find out more about the festival and how to buy tickets for the master classes by visiting the website at www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk