A WEALTH of cooking talent that surrounds Highcliffe is set be the centrepiece of the village's fourth annual food festival.

The ‘Quality Artisans Festival’ is taking place on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3.

More than 85 stalls have been booked for the event, with products for sale ranging from quality meats, cheeses and fish 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 which is booked with a range of local celebrity chefs.

For the first time there will also be a mobile cookery demonstration unit called the ‘Artisans Stage’ featuring short demonstrations from artisan food and drink producers.

Festival chairman Mary Reader said: “This year we have made a decision to showcase the amazing work being done by our local chefs such as award-winning Alex Aitken from the Jetty and Harbour Hotel group, TV chef James Golding the Chef Director of the Pig group, Luke Matthews and Adam Hart from the prestigious and multi-award-winning Chewton Glen, Harbour Hotel chefs and Colin Nash from the Three Tuns."

Closing the festival on Sunday afternoon a ‘Ready Steady' style cook off is planned with the top chefs from Harbour Hotel, Craig McColm and Neal Jepson, assisted by the Mayor of Christchurch, Lesley Dedman, and Andy Martin, the editor of the Daily Echo.

Local schools are playing their part with a design competition and the popular Kidz Kitchen returns where children from aged 7 to 11 can learn to cook pork kofta wraps.

Alongside the culinary focus at the festival, two stages of musical entertainment will be on offer thanks to Highcliffe’s own music studio HP Music, with performances by the Coda Music Centre, Barton Court Studio, Highcliffe Charity Players and Bournemouth Musical Theatre company.