Thousands of people enjoy a weekend of fun and food at Seaham Food Festival

Visitors got to watch an inspiring set of demonstrations from a line-up of top celebrity chefs including Bake Off and MasterChef winners.

It was certainly a weekend of contrasts with Saturday seeing umbrellas and waterproofs at the ready as Storm Antoni unleashed its wrath, whilst Sunday was a day for shorts and sun cream as the sun made a welcome appearance.

Taste buds were tantalised as around 120 traders set up shop to sell everything from sizzling street food to sausage rolls, scotch eggs, cheesecakes, cheese, olives, bakes and cakes.

Taking to the stage on Saturday were MasterChef 2023 Champion Eddie Scott, Great British Bake Off 2022 winner Syabira Yusoff, vegan baker Freya Cox, and local talent Jonny Stewart, who was also a MasterChef Contestant.

They were followed on Sunday by Nadia and Dina Sawalha – known as The Curly Cooks of Croydon - MasterChef Professionals 2022 Champion Nikita Pathakji, and Briony May Williams, presenter, cook and baker.

All the demonstrations were hosted by Eat Well For Less presenter, Chris Bavin. 

Families could also enjoy a range of exciting activities and entertainment including music and street performances, outdoor family theatre, and sports and craft workshops.

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “While the rain did bring its unexpected moments this weekend, we had an absolutely fantastic time at Seaham Food Festival.

"It was great to see so many people from across the region come down and enjoy the incredible produce our traders have to offer.

“We would like to thank everyone for coming out despite the unpredictable weather, we hope you had as much fun as we did. I’d also like to thank the traders and celebrity guests, the festival’s supporters and sponsors, and all the staff and volunteers for their hard work and efforts to make this weekend happen.”