PLANS for this year's Christchurch Food Festival are already taking shape - with some popular chefs and cooks booked for the weekend.

The event, which attracts more than 70,000 people to the town each year, is due to be held on Saturday May 12 and Sunday May 13 this year.

The event was launched in 2000, and grown in size over the years, attracting high quality stalls and award winning chefs since its inception.

And this year, organisers are promising new stalls, fresh activities and more entertainment than ever before.

In 2018, festival patron Lesley Waters and Dean Edwards will be showing off their culinary skills with a variety of demonstrations, along with Alana Spencer, who won BBC's The Apprentice.

She will be baking some of her delicious cakes, the business idea she pitched to Lord Alan Sugar during the television show.

The popular food market will be back over the weekend, spilling over onto Christchurch Quay.

And as well as the cookery demonstrations, there will also be a beer festival, fabulous cocktails, the ever-popular Kids Kitchen and dozens of stalls selling food to eat on site and take home.

These will include local producers such as Purbeck Ice Cream and Gourmet Grilled Cheese Co, Langham Sparkling Wine and Conker Gin, Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, and Dorset Shellfish and Oysters.

New to the event this year, will be Melissa Morgan - Miss Cupcake - a vegan baker and chef from Canada.

Her appearance at the show will be in tune with the rise in popularity of vegan food, following on from Veganuary last month.

Furthermore, Dorset Food and Drink will have a dedicated area within the festival to champion their members and support start-up businesses, showing just how passionate this coastal county is about their produce.