Industry News

Celebrity chef Phil Vickery is to make a welcome return to a popular North East food festival this spring.

Phil, who has graced screens for more than a quarter of a century on ITV show This Morning, will be leading the line-up at this year’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, 18 and 19 April.

Phil last appeared at Bishop Auckland in 2023 and will be joined this year by fellow TV chefs Chris Bavin – reprising his previous role as host; Shivi Ramoutar and Aaron Mountford-Myles.

The free-to-attend Durham County Council event once again promises to get taste buds tingling and diners drooling, with culinary delights from both near and far for everyone to enjoy.

Cllr Karen Allison, the council’s Cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Phil Vickery back for April’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival.

“Phil has shared his expertise with This Morning viewers for many years and it’s great to have him back at Bishop Auckland. We’re also delighted to welcome back Chris as host, and to have Shivi and Aaron as part of our line-up. All four will be offering some fascinating insights into their skills that festival-goers really shouldn’t miss.

“We’ll also have an impressive choice of food from around the world and closer to home for people to try and we look forward to welcoming them to Bishop Auckland to enjoy the festival with us.

“We’re really pleased to once again be organising an event with plenty for people to do for free, as we fully appreciate that money is tight for many these days.

“We also hope that local businesses and our economy once again benefit from increased footfall, as we welcome people to our fabulous county over the weekend.”

Phil Vickery has appeared on This Morning for 26 years and has had two series of his own on ITV, Phil Vickery’s Pudding Club and Save Money: Good Diet. He has also made appearances on BBC’s Holiday, Ready Steady Cook; and Proof of the Pudding. Away from TV, Phil is a prolific and highly regarded cookery author, having written 19 award-winning books that have sold worldwide.

As in previous years, Chris Bavin will be the host of the festival across both days. Chris is co-presenter of BBC1’s hugely successful series Eat Well for Less?. He has also presented Tomorrow’s Food with Dara O’Briain and The Truth about Meat, and is co-presenter of BBC1’s long-running series Food: Truth or Scare, with Gloria Hunniford. Chris was the presenter for two series of BBC2’s Britain in Bloom and a co-judge on BBC1’s prime time competition series Britain’s Best Home Cook, with Mary Berry, chef Angela Hartnett and presenter Claudia Winkleman. He is also a regular guest and reporter for The One Show and Morning Live.

Shivi Ramoutar can regularly be found cooking her tropical fare on TV, via her ITV series, Jimmy and Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast, and has also appeared on Saturday Kitchen, James Martin’s Saturday Mornings and This Morning. She is the author of three cookbooks.

Aaron Mountford-Myles came to the nation’s attention last year, when he reached the final of Channel 4 series The Great British Bake Off.

Phil, Shivi and Aarron will all be giving cookery demonstrations at the festival on the Saturday, with details of the Sunday chef line-up to be announced soon.

The festival will also have a treat for those with a sweet tooth, with chocolate workshops from Paul A. Young on both days. Paul will be running hour-long Perfect Truffles Masterclasses and Adventures with Chocolate sessions, on both the Saturday and Sunday.

Booking for these is required via the festival website, where further information on everything happening across the two days can be found, at www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk