THE rain did not dampen spirits of visitors during the first weekend of Bournemouth Food and Drink Festival 2015.

During a host of planned displays in the demo kitchen in Bournemouth Square on both days as part of the event, a host of chefs were showing members of the public how to make a range of dishes at home.

At various points on Saturday, special guests took to the stage to have a go at learning a new recipe including the Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr John Adams, and the Mayoress Suzi.

See all the pictures from day two at Bournemouth Food and Drink Festival 

However the crowds turned out to see Team Blue from Daily Echo take on Team Red from Heart FM go head to head in a Ready Steady Cook style challenge.

It was led by Andy Chu of Wah Hing Chinese Supermarket, based in Boscombe and Poole, who taught each team how to make a sweet and sour chicken dish presented in a pineapple.

Andy Chu said: "We had a dinner demonstration with Heart FM and Daily Echo for the closing event of Saturday's demonstrations.

"It was a simple sweet and sour chicken dish which they had to do within 15 minutes and then we had to choose a winner.

"Both of them did really well. They had a mixture of sauces including garlic and chilli to create a fantastic dish.

"It was good. Even though the weather wasn't good, I thought that we had a good time in the demo kitchen."

After the public tried the finished dishes from both teams, the result was announced as a draw between Nicky Findley and Jane Toomer from Daily Echo and Nicky Cluley and Jo Legg from Heart FM.

Brightly coloured stalls selling a variety of food and drink from around the world, local ciders and ales, as well as farmers and producers markets, also lined Bournemouth Square. Numerous restaurants, pubs, cafes and venues around the town have also provided their own special offers for the event, which runs until June 28.