Delicious food and drink at food festival

Buy photos » The third annual food festival in Alcester will be held this weekend. Picture by Marcus Mingins.

ALCESTER High Street will be alive with the sights and smells of produce from local suppliers this weekend for the town’s third annual food festival.

More than 100 stalls will be open from 9am to 5pm tomorrow (Saturday) on High Street, Church Street and Henley Street for the Alcester and Forest of Arden Food Festival, with shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants also getting involved.

All produce, from poultry and pig roasts to beers and wines, will be local with proceeds going to the War Memorial Town Hall.

At 9.30am, members of Alcester Court Leet will take part in the traditional assize, which dates back to 1299 and is regarded as an early Trading Standards, where goods offered for sale will be tested.

Perfect pastry and fantastic fillings will also be on offer as judges, including town mayor Lennox Cumberbatch, festival committee member Steve Hine, Statford District Council's Nancy Singleton and Standard editor Ian Dipple, line up to taste test entries for the Best Pie competition.

Judging will begin at 12.45pm at The Bear, High Street, with hot savoury, cold savoury, hot sweet and cold sweet categories. The overall winner of the Best Pie title will be presented with a silver plate, provided by Bullivant Media which produces the Redditch and Alcester Standard.

A free park and ride service from Dudley's Coaches will be operating on the day between the Moat House on the A435 and the town centre.

Visit www.alcesterfoodfestival.org.uk for more information.

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