THE countdown is on to the Highcliffe Food and Arts Festival.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the event, which follows hot on the heels of the successful Christchurch Food Festival.

Organisers are working hard behind the scenes to ensure the event, which is due to take place on June 1 and 2, is a success.

Visitors are expected to travel from far and wide to experience the vast selection of food and drink on offer and also to enjoy the entertainment.

For the first time this year the festival will also include arts and crafts.

Celebrity chefs appearing over the weekend include TV personality and top chef Rosemary Shrager, Indian food expert Sarah Ali Choudhury and chefs working in restaurants in the local area including the Christchurch Harbour Hotel, The Jetty, The Three Tuns, the Chewton Glen and Brasserie Blanc.

The event is sponsored by Hoburne Holidays and is going to be the biggest yet. It will be held in the main High Street and in the recreation ground.

Organised by a hard-working team of volunteers, the festival will be a hub for the arts with cookery demonstrations and around 50 craft stalls presented by The Little Craft Shack.

The Kidz Kitchen will be in the ‘Old School’ and on Saturday will feature Rachel Hills of the Skylight Kitchen teaching children to make a delicious flatbread, and churn their own butter.

Sunday will see award-winning chocolatier Kerry Witt run chocolate master-classes for children.

The High Street will be full of a huge range of food and drink stalls.

And, for the first time, the nationally acclaimed Sheep Show will be sited outside Tesco and will include sheep, dancing and shearing.