Prep is under way for East Lancs food festivals

An East Lancashire town is starting prep for its annual taste fest in August.

Clitheroe Food Festival will be the finale of the week-long Ribble Valley “Taste Fest” at various locations around the borough.

This will run from August 3 to 9, before the Clitheroe Food Festival in the town centre on Saturday, August 10.

The main food festival is so popular that demand from traders for a stall has outstripped the space available and places are fully booked.

A park-and-ride scheme will be in operation for visitors.

Both festivals are organised by Ribble Valley  Council to showcase the best of the area’s food and drink and draw in visitors to discover what the Ribble Valley has to offer.

The food festival is always a great occasion

And while the emphasis will be on local produce, other parts of the county and the north will also feature.

The council’s director of economic development, Nicola Hopkins, said: “This is a marvellous opportunity to showcase the wide range of mouth-watering locally-produced food and drink the Ribble Valley, and Lancashire as a whole have to offer.

“It’s also a great way for local businesses to access new customers and expand their sales to a new audience.

“The festivals help cement the Ribble Valley’s growing reputation as the ‘food capital of the north’ with top-class food and drink at its heart.

“They attract more than 20,000 people from across the country so it’s a brilliant marketplace to display the artisan skills we have on offer.

"Last year’s events were more popular than ever and we want to build upon that success and deliver a foodies’ dream festival.”

The Taste Festival will include tasting experiences, themed walks, food demonstrations, brewery tours and visits to farms and food venues.

The Clitheroe Food Festival will take over the town centre and will include street entertainment, live music and more.