GALLERY: Streets packed for Oswestry Food Festival

The 10th Oswestry Food Festival brought people to the town from across the region to enjoy samples and cooking demonstrations, two beer festivals and musical entertainment.

Stalls packed Cross Street and Bailey Street running up to the Bailey Head outdoor and indoor market and crowds thronged the pedestrianised areas on both Saturday and Sunday.

Many of the traders were local food producers who said the two-day event was an ideal way to showcase what they had to offer. Traditional butcher Jamie Ward, from Whittington, has been involved with the festival since its inceptions. "This is great for the town and for food producers. People come from as far afield as Warrington and Wigan and many follow the circuit of food festivals – there is a real foodie culture in this country.

"People are more interested these days in where their meat comes from and while they may not eat so much meat as in the past they want quality."

One new trader was Tom Parker who makes Odin's Sauces – hot sauces and chutneys – from his kitchen in Oak Street in Oswestry.

Staff said people were enjoying tasting the wide range of chilli-based products.

Town councillor and stall holder Amanda Woof sells Aunty Mo's sausage rolls and scotch eggs. She said: "As long as we continue to have special events like these throughout the summer we will continue to attract people into Oswestry. Each year we have our regular customers as well as new ones who visit the food festival."

Many shops, pubs and cafes and regular market stall holders reported a busy weekend trade.

Rosie Radford moved her deli stall from the indoor to the outdoor market for the festival. "The market square on the Bailey Head has been here for hundreds of years. Buildings come and go but the market remains," she said. "It has been good this weekend to get outside and say to shoppers, we are here and you can find us inside the market hall three days a week."

Grace Goodland, owner and licensee of The Bailey Head pub, said it had been packed on Saturday.

"Oswestry is a great area for food. We lived in the south and I would shop at the borough market for my meat. But it would cost three times as much as I can buy locally produced meat here," she said.

"We source as much of our food as we can from the market, from Oswestry and a little further afield. It is great quality. We have been here for four months and what we are finding is that Oswestry is such a friendly place."

Those visiting the food festival said it had become a must visit each year.

Lynn Morris, from Oswestry, said: "It's very busy in town and there is a good choice of food. You can try before you buy as well. It is nice to see stalls in the streets, that is what markets used to be like in the past."

For Danny and Doris Moss, from Penley, it was the smells of the food festival that were enticing.

"I haven't tasted anything yet by the aromas are very tempting," Mr Moss said. "I also enjoyed the percussion band on the Bailey Head, they were excellent."

Mrs Moss added: "It is good to see the town packed, it's absolutely lovely."

Amber Isles took her woodfired pizza oven to the festival. She said the music added to the atmosphere.

"There have been musicians on the Bailey Head and a Reggae Festival in Cae Glas Park which is an added bonus."

One of the food festival directors, Isabelle Waine, said it had been another wonderful festival. "This is our 10th anniversary and once again it has been a great event," she said. "Visitors have told us what a great event it is."