THE Burnham-on-Sea Food & Drink Festival kicks off this Saturday with a great line-up crammed with entertainment, competitions and great tasting food.

The ninth festival starts at 9am on October 22 and will be a fun day out for all the family with over 120 stalls to explore in five indoor venues and a large outdoor market.

Visitors can pick up some delicious treats from a selection of producers selling wines, cheeses, chutneys and meats and chow down on some delicious street food from the outdoor markets as well as shopping for kitchen ware at the non food stalls. 

The competition hub at The Cookery School on Princess Street will be where it all begins withThe Great Burnham Bake Off opening for entry drop offs at 9am.

Participants have to submit a loaf, cake or tart by 2pm. Judges, including the Development Cook at The Humble Pie Co. and four-times Bake Off winner Dusica Roberts will be announcing the winners at 4pm.

During the day, at the Fresh Ideas Demo Stage, six popular chefs will be cooking up a storm and teaching visitors some cooking tips. Chefs including: Manvenna Walia, founder of Somerset Curry Club, Justin Reeves & Liam Finnegan's, Apprentice contestant Alana Spencer and  Ben Fotre and Dan Shahin of UnitedQ will be sharing some kitchen secrets with the audience and encourage them to have a go for themselves.

There will be lots of seating around the festival with buskers, magicians, children’s rides, a traditional Punch & Judy show (featuring Mike’s Pork sausages), face painters and many more performances to keep you entertained during the day. 

Festival organiser Bev Milner Simonds said: “The introducing young makers market offers creative entrepreneurs aged 16-24 the chance to trade for free at the festival and get free business, finance and design advice. 

"With the support of our partners The Design Hive and Nat West and a contribution from Burnham and Highbridge Town Council, we have finally been able to put young makers in the spotlight where we think they belong.

“And we want our visitors to try, taste and buy the local goodies on offer, knowing that your money goes straight back into the communities that surround us and keep Somerset buoyant.  

"These expert food producers are mainly based within 25 miles of Burnham-on-Sea and we hope that such a huge diversity of the highest quality produce might inspire us to look at the place we live a little differently. 

"We all our visitors, traders and guests a wonderful day at the festival.”

Festival organiser Sarah Milner Simonds said: “Harvest time for many offers a chance to replenish the stores for winter. It is good to be reminded of the significance of harvest when you can buy asparagus in a supermarket all year round. 

"For us, knowing that what we eat comes from where we live makes us feel secure, proud and connected to the land somehow.

"We live in a very fertile place. We hope that by sharing our love of local food through this festival we can also share those feelings of security, pride and connectedness to the people who most need that now.”

Organisers are asking visitors to check the list on trusselltrust.org and bring donations to The Methodist Church on the day to donate to Highbridge Foodbank.

The festival is free to attend and starts at 9am. 

For more information about the festival, to download trader lists and entry forms and maps visit http://www.burnhamonseafoodfestival.org