Festival of Food and Drink announces celebrity guests for 2023 – including TV cooks, Bake Off star and a popular returning favourite

The popular family-friendly event, the largest celebration of local food and drink producers in the East Midlands, is moving to a new location and will this year be hosted at Thoresby Park, having previously been held at Clumber Park.

There will be a fantastic feast of food and drink traders, street food, bars and award-winning producers on offer for festival-goers, along with gifts, crafts and homewares in the festival’s shopping area.

One of the festival’s most popular features is the 500-seat Cookery Theatre which hosts expert demonstrations from celebrity chefs.

The first guest name to join the 2023 line-up is renowned British chef, TV presenter and food writer Matt Tebbutt, the current host of BBC’s Saturday Kitchen. Matt has been entertaining audiences with his culinary skills and knowledge since 2017. In addition to his television work, Matt regularly contributes to several food publications including Waitrose Weekend and Olive Magazine, along with authoring several of his own cookbooks. He is one of the UK’s most popular chefs and will bring his warm personality and passion for local ingredients and sustainable food practices to the Cookery Theatre on the Sunday.

He said “I’m delighted to join the line-up heading to Nottinghamshire for the Festival of Food and Drink. I’m excited to share some of my top recipes, tips and hacks with audiences in the Cookery Theatre, and can’t wait to see everyone there, it’s set to be a great weekend.”

Previous visitors will be excited to hear Matt Pritchard, also known as The Dirty Vegan, will be returning in 2023, having proved himself as a huge hit with audiences in 2021. The Welsh health and fitness fanatic is known for his work as a sustainable vegan cook, who fuels himself on a plant-based diet whilst competing in extreme endurance challenges. In 2018, he became the host of popular BBC show, Dirty Vegan, in which he travels around the UK to create delicious vegan dishes for meat-eating families and sceptics. Matt will return to the event on Saturday 16th September to share his passion for healthy plant-based eating and street food flavours for audiences in the Cookery Theatre.

Also joining the 2023 Sunday line-up is baking extraordinaire and Great British Bake Off fan favourite Sandro Farmhouse. Sandro is a passionate baker, with years of experience, who won the nation’s hearts in the 2022 series of the baking competition with his show-stopping cakes and delectable creations. Since then he has continued to win fans on social media with his cheeky personality, as he shares his baking adventures and creations. Sandro is excited to meet festival-goers at the Festival of Food and Drink, while sharing his passion for the art of cooking and baking.

More famous faces are set to join the festival’s line up in the coming weeks.

Alongside the Cookery Theatre, visitors can enjoy a programme of live music, entertainment, interactive workshops and have-a-go activities across the weekend, which will be announced in the run-up to the festival.

Festival tickets are available now and can be pre-booked online from just £10. See festivaloffoodanddrink.com