Food glorious food and drink wonderful drink as Leamington celebrates all things culinary

Business Improvement District (BID) Leamington, the organiser of the Leamington Food and Drink Festival, has hailed the two-day event as the most successful yet.

About 15,000 people attended the event on Saturday alone, with the overall attendance easily topping last year’s figure when about 20,000 people came to the gardens over the entire weekend.

Weekend footfall in the town centre was also up by 15 per cent compared to the previous weekend with a notable 21 per cent increase on the Sunday.

Stephanie Kerr, executive director for BID, said: “There’s no doubt that this was our best year yet, not just for attendance but also for atmosphere.

“The great weather helped bring out the crowds and create a fun, friendly and relaxed atmosphere but there was also lots of business generated too with many traders selling out on both days.”

Attractions at the event included a kids’ cookery school, a masterclass area, a live kitchen for chefs to showcase their talents and a taste trail.

BID plans to build on the success of the event for next year.

· See this week’s Courier for more pictures.