Give your tastebuds a treat at the food festival

Cooking demonstrations, live performances, a fun fair and national and international produce will make Wokingham a foodies paradise this weekend.

The second annual Wokingham Food and Drink Festival promises to be a fun and lively event for all the family, with a variety of displays, demonstrations and performances taking place throughout at Elms Field off Wellington Road.

The three-day festival starting on Friday at 10am will see a host of traders showing off their fine produce, including cheeses, sausages, Champagne and chocolate.

Neil Bardo, head chef at Miltons restaurant in Milton Road, will be demonstrating his expert cooking skills and producing quality dishes for festival visitors.

Mr Bardo will also be organising a Ready Steady Cook-style challenge where people can choose three or four ingredients from produce for sale at the festival and the Miltons team will conjure up a dish.

Festival organiser Mr Newman has been hard at work since the end of last year’s inaugural event signing up eager exhibitors.

He has managed to secure the Festival of Food, which will feature a marquee packed full of produce, including Pilgrims Choice cheese, Brown Brothers wine, Yeo’s range of spicy sauces and Supreme Sausages.

As well as providing an array of tasty treats, the festival will also lay on entertainment for people of all ages.

Barclays Bank in Wokingham has helped Mr Newman provide a stage for local bands, performers and orchestras to perform during the day and evenings of the festival.

During the daytime there will be performances from groups including East Berkshire Operatic Society, Opera at Bearwood, the choir from the Coombes School in Arborfield and Wokingham Performing Arts Club, which is made up of young people who rehearse at Wokingham Youth Centre in Reading Road.

In the evening, local bands performing will include Boydidgood, Smokey B*****d, Streetfight Silence and Spillage.

The variety of acts will mean there is music to suit all tastes.

The music stage will be hosting the entertainment from 5pm to 10pm on Friday, 10am to 10pm on Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sunday.

Mr Newman said: “I have been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast for the weekend and it is looking good.

“Everything is going really well, the banners are up in the town and we have a lot of very good exhibitors on board.

“I am just hoping it is a good event. I think it is something everyone will enjoy.”

The festival runs from 10am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

For more information about the festival visit www.shopwokingham.com

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