Food festival shows 'so much talent in the county'

Northampton Food and Drink Week runs until 8 June

Organisers of a nine-day celebration of eating and drinking say it will show that there is "so much talent in the county".

The Northamptonshire Food and Drink Week includes an event showcasing 80 different producers as well as demonstrations and tours at venues across the county.

A major hotel is using the occasion to launch a new "dining experience".

The festival also coincides with the launch of a beer commemorating a catastrophic fire in the county town in the 17th Century.

Across Northamptonshire, restaurants, hotels and food producers are getting a chance to show off what they can do during this year's food week.

One of the highlights will be a two-day festival at Delapre Abbey in Northampton, featuring no less than 80 producers.

Amanda Nichols from Delapre said: "Northampton has so much to offer, there's so many different producers coming out, so much talent in the county. It'll be a great showcase of everything Northamptonshire has to shout about."

Chester House is looking forward to welcoming dogs during the festival

At Chester House near Wellingborough, food from several different local suppliers is being brought together in a "ploughman's platter".

The venue is hoping plenty of hungry hounds turn up during the festival.

Lisa Hust, general manager, said: "We're very dog-friendly - we even have a dog-friendly room in our farmhouse and a dog menu.

"The favourite is the sausages - everybody loves the sausages."

Andrew Hollett from Kettering Park Hotel hopes the new Curious Kitchen will attract younger diners

The Kettering Park Hotel is using the week to launch a new dining experience called Curious Kitchen.

The hotel's general manager, Andrew Hollett, said the concept was "a slightly more modern, relaxed style of dining.

"This makes it a bit broader in terms of taste and ingredients being used, and probably it'll appeal to a broader range of customer, particularly the younger diners."

Phipps Brewery is preparing to have a new man at the helm

The festival will be a busy time for Johnny Howes at Phipps Brewery in Northampton, as he prepares to replace the long-standing managing director, Alaric Neville.

He has a specific goal in mind: "It's hard to go into a pub that serves real ale and not see Phipps [beers]. My remit now is to add on keg beer - the craft beer - to that.

"Cask is sticking around - I just think cask is just a bit harder to look after for the bar staff - it's a dying trade."

The brewery is launching a new ale called From The Ashes to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of Northampton. It is described as a porter which is very dark, thick and - inevitably - smoky.