organisers of this summer's Food and Drink Festival in Tavistock say it has now doubled in size from last year's inaugural event, with 80 exhibitors booked. The festival, on July 30 and 31, will be held in a 15,000 sq ft all-weather marquee in Bedford Car Park. It will include a special cheese section organised by Elise Jungheim from Tavistock?s Country Cheeses shop, in which 20 of the west?s leading cheese producers will feature, demonstrating the process of cheese-making from the dairy to the plate. During the two days of the festival, there will be demonstrations by top chef Peter Gorton, of the famous Horn of Plenty restaurant at Gulworthy, plus several other leading chefs from the area. Peter said he was delighted by the response to this year?s festival within the industry. ?I?m really looking forward to it now. All the reaction from the exhibitors and the chefs has been so positive,? he said. Newcomers at this year?s event will be staff and students from catering colleges in Devon. Peter said: ?Exeter College has already said yes and I?m hoping Plymouth College will be there too. ?We will have demonstrations from the lecturers and they will be helped and supported by the students. I want to support the colleges, because after all, that?s where our young new chefs start and I?d like to give them the chance to do something big like this.? Education will be firmly in the focus at this year?s festival, which has a Kidzwise theme. There are going to be several food demonstrations aimed specifically at children, which will drive home the message that preparing good, locally produced fruit, vegetables, fish and meat can be fun and is also delicious. Festival visitors will also be able to enjoy refreshments accompanied by the sound of music, at a special jazz café featuring a live jazz band. Tavistock Business Association, which is organising the festival, is running a free shuttle bus between Bedford Car Park, the town centre, a park and ride facility at Tavistock College and Safeway. The association hopes the bus will ensure there is easy access for visitors and shoppers to the festival ? and the rest of the town. Robey Trust volunteers are also running a traction engine shuttle between the festival and town centre. Jeffrey Stackhouse, festival chairman, said: ?We want to ensure that this year?s festival is just as successful as last year, offering twice as many quality food and drink producers from the South West.? Mr Stackhouse said a successful festival would be ?a key element? in the town?s entry for the competition to find the best food town in the west, currently being run by a regional newspaper. ?We are also pleased to confirm that we shall again be supporting the Children?s Hospice South West this year, as well as pledging financial support for a major local community project, details of which will be announced in early June. ?The addition of our jazz café will ensure visitors can relax and sample local produce, whilst listening to soft jazz.? Further information about Tavistock Food and Drink Festival can be found at http://www.TavistockFoodFestival.co.uk">www.TavistockFoodFestival.co.uk
