Celebrity chefs lined up for Market Drayton spice fest

Rachel Green and Mallika Basu will both give demonstrations at the Clive and Coffyne pub on September 28 as part of the third Ginger & Spice Festival.

Rachel Green, who will be headlining in the live cookery theatre at the pub's beer garden, will be giving a lively demonstration showcasing seasonal, spicy, British produce sponsored by Tiptree Jam.

She has made four television series, appears on TV and radio regularly and has also cooked for the Queen. As well as demonstrating she regularly hosts pop-up events and gives bespoke cookery classes at home and at Divertimenti Cookery School in London.

Rachel regularly caters, is a food speaker, food ambassador, food judge and also writes. Her cookery books include Making the Most of the Great British Sausage and Rachel Green’s Chatsworth Cookery Book.

Rachel Green said: "I am absolutely delighted to be visiting Market Drayton to demonstrate at the Ginger & Spice Festival.

"As well as celebrating their culinary heritage, the festival champions British Food Fortnight and all that is local and seasonal, of which I am passionate about. As a farmer’s daughter and an advocate of supporting local and artisan producers, this festival is absolutely aligned with my ethos and outlook. I very much look forward to meeting everyone and introducing them to a few recipes.’’

Festival organiser, Julia Roberts, said: "Rachel is the perfect fit for our festival which celebrates the culinary heritage of Market Drayton as well as championing all that is local and seasonal. Rachel’s passion and enthusiasm for all that is local is an inspiration and we know that the crowds will not be disappointed."

Mallika Basu lives in London and hails from Bengal, India. She has written two published cookery books, Miss Masala and Masala, and has also been featured on television.

She writes a regular food column in the Evening Standard as well as ad hoc cookbook reviews, restaurant and travel pieces.

She said: "My passion is to teach how to use spices in everyday life to create quick and easy dishes which are both healthy and nutritious. A spice festival which is linked to my home city of Kolkata is the perfect place to do this."

Miss Roberts said: "We met Mallika on my recent trip to Kolkata where we collaborated in a panel discussion about Indian flavours of the world. It was a fascinating discussion and Mallika’s knowledge of Bengali cuisine and spices is very impressive. Her passion to bring authentic Bengali cooking to the British dinner table is inspiring and she will certainly be challenging our western perception of what it means to eat a curry."

The live cookery theatre will start at 10am on Saturday, September 28, with a line-up including Dr Sue Bailey as ‘Fabulous Fanny’, James Sherwin of Wild Shropshire, Chris Burt of the Mytton & Mermaid, Adam Purnell the 'Shropshire Lad' and Darren Morgan of Morgan’s Country Butchers.

It will be hosted by Market Drayton-based chef Robert Gibson of Roots & Wings.

To learn more visit gingerandspicefest.co.uk or see the festival programmes that will be distributed in Market Drayton in September.