Food lovers in their thousands crammed the streets of Christchurch for the first weekend of Christchurch Food & Wine Festival and the International Food Market.

The showery weather on Saturday did not deter people from coming to see what was on offer at more than 100 stalls that lined the High Street and to take their places in the audience for the cookery demonstrations in the Rangemaster Cookery Theatre in Saxon Square.

A variety of aromas filled the High Street as vendors sold sausages, pasties, seafood, olives, bread, cheese, coffee and much more. Stallholders reported good business on both days and some of town’s traders said they had the busiest Sunday ever, as the weather improved.

The Saxon Square marquee played host to a number of chefs, including the Festival’s patron Lesley Waters and celebrity chefs Rose Elliot and Cyrus Todiwala, who entertained the audience with anecdotes about the authentic Indian dishes which have changed somewhat since their inception in the Indian sub-continent. He told how he was amazed, when he came to England, to see ‘curry’ being used as a generic term for Indian cuisine, as it really should only refer to dishes cooked in coconut milk.

There were new demonstrations this year in ‘Cookafun’ sessions where two chefs were given the same ingredients and had to come up with a variety of dishes using those ingredients in half an hour, with the audience judging which should be the winner.

The Festival’s President, Mary Reader, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people of all ages coming along to see what was on offer. Although the Festival was originally set up to help the businesses in the town, it’s gratifying to see how it’s expanded to become a real community event, with volunteers from many parts of the Borough, including many of our schools. Our sponsors have also reported very tangible results from their involvement.

“We tried some new initiatives in the demonstration theatre this year which were very well received. We are constantly looking to improve and develop our ideas and we hope the many thousands of people who came along found a lot to interest them and tantalise their taste buds.”

The Festival continues in restaurants, cafes, pubs and tea rooms until Sunday 16 May, culminating in the charity dinner at the Lord Bute Restaurant on Sunday.