HIGHCLIFFE is surrounded by cooking talent which is why it's making local chefs the centrepiece of its fourth food festival.

The Quality Artisans Festival takes place over the weekend of June 2 and 3 and features award-winning Alex Aitken from the Jetty and Harbour Hotel group, TV chef James Golding, Chef Director of the Pig group, Luke Matthews and Adam Hart from the prestigious and multi-award-winning Chewton Glen, Kevin Brown from the Lord Bute and Colin Nash from the Three Tuns.

Festival chairman Mary Reader said: “This year we have made a decision to showcase the amazing work being done by our local chefs, who are all giving up their time to support us. We are surrounded by amazing talent.”

More than 65 stalls have already been booked, featuring products ranging from quality meats, cheeses, patisserie, fish, oils, vinegars, garden furniture and knives, to several stalls selling artisan gins, wines, beers and spirits.

There will be a “Let’s Cook” demonstration theatre in the Methodist Hall cookery hub, and, for the first time, there will also be a mobile cookery demonstration unit in the Tesco car park.

Award-winning local butcher Chris Watson will be working alongside chef and joint proprietor of the Paddle restaurant, Harry Moseley, and fisherman Russell Murphy from Russell’s Plaice will be joined by Paul Jenkins from the Shipyard restaurant in Lymington. They'll be creating a variety of dishes with locally caught lobsters, crabs and sustainable fish.

Nutritionist and author Barbara Cox will be presenting a session on ‘Look and feel 10 years younger with Rainbow Recipes’ and there'll be sessions from jam-maker Jennifer Williams and New Forest master chocolatier, Kerry Witt.

Mary Reader added: "There will also be two stages of musical entertainment presented by Highcliffe’s own music studio, HP Music, to help make the Highcliffe Food Festival a true feast for the senses!"

* highclifferevivalfoodfestival.co.uk