POOLE’S Lighthouse will be a magnet for gourmets of all ages later this month when it hosts a star-studded day of food-related events.

Bite the Lighthouse on Sunday, October 25, is being staged by Dorset’s own Screen Bites, the only annual celebration of food and film in the country.

Founded in 2005 and run by a small committee of volunteers, this year’s festival is the most ambitious yet, with screenings and tastings at 18 Dorset and Somerset locations throughout October and a Thanksgiving feast at the National Trust’s Barrington Court near Ilminster on November 26.

Bite the Lighthouse will have a farmers’ and food producers’ market showcasing the best local produce. Many are Screen Bites regulars, and all will be offering tastings.

Dorset-based celebrity chef Lesley Waters will be visiting the market to choose ingredients for the first demonstration in the cookery theatre, assisted by catering students and staff from Weymouth College.

She will be followed by Ese Kousin from Bournemouth’s West Beach.

Rose Prince will be recreating dishes from 17th and 18th-century recipes; while Dorset-born Philippa Davis, formerly of the River Café and Moro, will be showing why her baking at the Mudchute Kitchen on the Isle of Dogs is rated among the best in London.

Paddy Davy, head chef at the Museum Inn on Cranborne Chase, will also be demonstrating his modern English style.

There will be talks and demonstrations throughout the day, and even a “cake surgery” to sort out any baking problems.

Actresses Harriet Walter and Cheryl Campbell and singer Sammy Hurden will be performing their show Beanfeast.

Further musical entertainment will come from Bar Jungr, Impropera and the Palms Quartet.

The day will feature food-related projects involving local schoolchildren and university students, storytelling, and a series of food films, including a free screening of Ratatouille for children whose families are visiting the market.

* More details on bitethelighthouse.co.uk, or book films, cabaret, theatre and opera on 0844 406 8666. Tickets for cookery demonstrations can be bought on the day. For other festival dates, see screen-bites.co.uk