Second helpings planned as Shrewsbury Food Festival a great success

About 8,000 visitors attended the event in Shrewsbury's Quarry Park and organisers said they were already planning the 2014 festival.

The event was opened on Saturday by Shrewsbury mayor Councillor Jon Tandy and Only Fools And Horses star Boycie, aka John Challis, who spent an hour meeting crowds.

Food festival chief executive Beth Heath said: "We'd hoped to attract around 5,000 people but the crowd was much, much bigger.

"We have had two days of great fun in The Quarry and we'll be back for more next year. We're already in discussions with Shrewsbury Town Council about building a bigger site that takes up more of The Quarry.

"The people from Shrewsbury have a great appetite for their food festival and we aim to be here for 30 years or more."

The event featured celebrity chefs Marcus Bean from ITV's This Morning, who runs Brompton Cookery School at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, and Will Holland from BBC TV's Great British Menu, who runs La Becasse in Ludlow.

Mr Holland said: "It is an absolutely amazing festival. The crowds were buzzing and the festival itself was brilliant."

Mr Bean added: "It was great to be able to showcase produce from the National Trust, at Attingham, and to let people know what we do at Brompton Cookery School. We've had a great time and the public have enjoyed themselves too. We hope people come back next year."

Festival chairman Andy Richardson said the success of the event was down to food festival volunteers.

He said: "For two days, Shrewsbury became Team Orange. Our volunteers were dressed in orange T-shirts and they were first class. They dealt with minor incidents brilliantly and they put on a smile.

"The volunteers showed the town at its best and we are indebted to them. People spoke about the brilliant spirit engendered by the London 2012 Olympics – we captured a little of that this weekend. They were amazing."