PHOTOS: 20,000 visitors at Clitheroe Food Festival 2015

Nearly 20,000 people turned out for the Clitheroe Food Festival, now in its fifth year, which saw more than 100 stalls set up in Castle Street.

There were also cookery demonstrations, a cocktail masterclass and a surprise appearance from celebrity chef Tim Maddams, former head chef at River Cottage.

Organiser Julia Whalley said: “It went amazingly well, and it was nice we got such good weather.

“We got around the same number of people as last year, but people were coming a lot earlier – it was twice as busy at 10.30am this year. We also saw people travelling long distances to get to us, one couple came up from Buckinghamshire especially.

“We’re growing year on year but that growth is in quality. It’s important for us that we concentrate on quality over quantity.”

She added: “This year Tim Maddams came along to launch his book but it was a last-minute thing as he’s a friend of mine.

“We don’t really tend to have celebrity chefs, because the real stars of the show are the food and drink producers of Lancashire.

“These producers are very, very important to the rural economy and promoting them helps build up their businesses and create jobs.

“In the five years we’ve been running, we have had several success stories reported back to us, such as the Northern Dough Company, which is now supplying the likes of Asda and Booths.

“We also get a lot of Taste Award winners with us. It’s about celebrating excellence.”

This year’s Producer of the Festival Award went to Shirley’s Pies. The company was chosen because of its collaboration with local producers.

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Clitheroe Food Festival 2013 - video

{http://www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk/news/photo-gallery-clitheroe-food-festival-2013-1-5945109 Clitheroe Food Festival 2013 - photo special}

Clitheroe Food Festival 2012 - photos