20,000 enjoy tucking into the fun at Shrewsbury Food Festival

The event was enjoyed by bumper crowds, who dined out on the best of local produce and enjoyed the best in unsigned Shropshire music.

Event chair Andy Richardson said: "The Shrewsbury Food Festival was an unprecedented success.

"We'd like to thank Shrewsbury for letting us borrow its park, our volunteers for making the event so family-friendly and, of course, the people who attended.

"We've booked the park for 2015 and we'll be back again next year."

Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski, who opened the festival, said the event was on its way to becoming one of the best in the UK.

He said: "Shrewsbury is fortunate to have a number of exceptional events. Shrewsbury Flower Show is arguably second only to the Chelsea Flower Show and I am confident that the Shrewsbury Food Festival will soon be recognised as one of the best in England.

"It showcased the remarkable entrepreneurial talent of the town and, of course, the great skills of its food and farming communities. It is a wonderful addition to the town and I hope it will be part of Shrewsbury for a very long time.

"I would like to congratulate the team behind it because it is helping to breathe new life into the town."

Huge numbers of people filled The Quarry throughout Saturday and yesterday and enjoyed entertainment and plenty of food.

Shrewsbury Mayor Mrs Beverley Baker was on hand to open the event on Saturday.

She said: "It is an incredible festival and I had a lovely time. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I went back yesterday to do a bit of shopping."

The festival was founded last year and attracted around 13,000 people in 2013. However, the numbers shot up this year as the organisers doubled the size of the site on The Quarry.

There were celebrity chef demonstrations, live music on The Buttermarket #ShropshireUnsigned stage and free activities on the children's stage.

People were also able to see farmyard animals in an area filled with a pig and new-born piglets, a cow and calves and other creatures.

Huge dark clouds swirled overhead as the festival opened its gates for trade but barely a drop of rain fell

Shrewsbury Town Crier Martin Wood said: "It is a truly sensational event and a real credit to the town. People had a wonderful weekend in The Quarry. It's firmly established itself as a must-visit event, in the space of just two years."

Shrewsbury resident Jenna Blair added: "The date is already in my diary for next year. I can't wait."

Good vibes filled the air as the festival featured the best of local music and tasty food. It also shone a spotlight on the town's artisans and craftspeople by showcasing Made In Shropshire, which works to promote the best of arts and crafts.

Food festival chief executive Beth Heath said: "The event was created by two of us, Andy and myself, but it has a team of volunteers who work around the year.

"To be honest, all the credit must go to them. We call them Team Orange and they have been working throughout last week and are still on site today.

"We recognise our responsibilities to the town and we work really, really hard to be a good neighbour. We are keen to be here for the long term and we're grateful for all the support we receive from across the town."

Rob Maynard, from Maynards Farm Bacon, was among the exhibitors providing entertainment in the Wenlock Spring Chef Demonstration stage. Mr Maynard, whose bacon and sausages are a Rick Stein Superhero product, said: "It was a great weekend and I hope it's here for the long term."

Clare Lamprell, who ran the event's education stage, said: "We had thousands and thousands of children join us for demonstrations and activities. It was a wonderful, family-friendly weekend."

There was plenty of music for people to enjoy with the best of local sounds as part of an event called #ShropshireUnsigned.

Martin Monahan, from The Buttermarket, which ran the music stage, said: "We have so many great talents in Shropshire that it's great to be able to shine the spotlight on them.

"The Quarry is the perfect setting for the Shrewsbury Food Festival. We're looking forward to putting on more great music at the event in coming years. Who knows, there is so much talent out there that we might even have two stages next year."

The event featured a pop-up cookery school run by celebrity chef Marcus Bean. He said: "The whole weekend was absolutely brilliant. I've never seen such good crowds at a festival in the Midlands.

"The Shrewsbury Food Festival is obviously here to stay. Last year, the event was a real ten-out-of-ten. This year, it went one better."

The festival now plans to turn its attentions to raising money for local schools, so that youngsters can learn about where their food comes from. It plans to work with teachers and create a new book that will be sold locally, with all proceeds going to educational projects.

Sam Gray, from Middle Farm, at Church Stretton, who took piglets and a sow to the event, said: "The festival is partly about a group of people have a really, really good time in the park on a beautiful summery weekend.

"It's also about the whole town being able to tuck in and enjoy the best food and drink. But it's also about raising awareness about where our food comes from."

Producers said the event was already the best in the Midlands and would soon be ranked even higher.

Chris Burt, from The Peach Tree, said: "There's no doubt about it: Shrewsbury has the best food festival in the Midlands. But this year, the organisers showed us what they're capable of.

"They've given us real belief that they can grow the event so that it's even larger. The park was absolutely rammed and it wouldn't surprise me if they use even more of The Quarry next year.

"I think the town will soon have a food festival that attracts 30,000 or 40,000 people. The organisers are putting Shrewsbury on the map as a serious destination for food. They're working with the restaurants and producers and there's a real feel-good feeling about the town's future."

Food festival chair Andy Richardson said the organisation wanted to help good causes in the town.

He said: "We've donated £1,000 to three local schools in the past few months so that they can build or improve their gardens.

"We also raised £1,500 for Self Help Africa. We'll be hosting a harvest supper in town centre restaurants in October and then we'll be looking to work with The Big Busk to raise money for The Ark.

"We'll also repeat our annual event with Self Help Africa. It's great that so many people had so much fun at the weekend, but we're also conscious of our responsibility to help others."

As the sun set on The Quarry yesterday evening, teams of volunteers were busy clearing the site so that townsfolk could enjoy their park again.

Mike Cox, from Shrewsbury Town Council, said: "Shrewsbury Food Festival has emerged and is a real breath of fresh air.

"The organisers are working closely with the Town Council to make sure the park is kept in good order. We always try to minimise inconvenience to residents and ensure that everyone can enjoy The Quarry."

Head of security Yanis Frokku, from Pro Secure, added: "Everybody had a great weekend and people went home happy. There were no problems and no trouble on site.

"Shrewsbury Food Festival is a remarkable event and everyone is looking forward to the next one. It's going to become huge over the next few years."