Abergavenny Food Festival: Thousands set for 20th anniversary

The Abergavenny Food Festival was attended by 30,000 people in 2017

TV chefs Jack Stein and José Pizarro will join food critic Grace Dent as Abergavenny Food Festival celebrates its 20th year this weekend.

More than 30,000 people are expected to attend the two-day Monmouthshire event.

The festival showcases more than 250 types of food and drink from Welsh and international producers, cookery lessons and exhibitions from top chefs.

"It is important to be part of things like this," said critically-acclaimed Spanish chef Pizarro.

"With Brexit, it is going to be difficult to keep going for many producers.

"It is good that this festival still puts the producer as the most important person, and at the heart of things."

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Stalls will be run in several venues across the town, such as the Borough Theatre, market and castle, and the festival says it generates £4m for the local economy.

The theme of the event is how food and shopping has changed in the UK in the 20 years since the first festival.

The weekend event generates an estimated £4m for the area

"We aim to get people thinking about food differently," said chief executive Aine Morris.

"So we try not to programme anything around sitting down and watching people cook.

"There is a new wave of Welsh cuisine and this is about getting people to meet the exciting producers who are cooking it."