THE Abergavenny Food Festival will return for its 20th anniversary event with some of the country's top chefs, cooks and food producers.

The event returns on September 15 and 16 and a number of high profile names have been announced.

Appearing over the weekend will be chef and author José Pizarro, chef Jack Stein, restaurant critic and broadcaster Grace Dent, Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt, award-winning BBQ experts Hang Fire BBQ, London-based Ghanaian chef Zoe Adjonyoh, Observer Food Monthly Rising Star for 2018 Nargisse Benkabbou.

You will also get to see chef and author Thom Eagle, best-selling food writer, cook and stylist Anna Jones, James Whetlor of the award-winning Cabrito Goat Meat and River Cottage chef Gill Meller.

This year demo stage in Abergavenny’s Market Hall has been revamped, and will this year will host all chef demos free of charge

There will be a kids’ and adults’ cookery school at The Castle, and a new festival site, which will be home to an expanded farmyard yard, feature a Welsh craft ale bar, and more activities for children and families.

The full programme line up for the festival will be announced in June.

2018 is the 20th festival event, which was founded by two farmers as a direct response to the BSE crisis.

Aine Morris, CEO of the Abergavenny Food Festival said: “Abergavenny Food Festival is where people come to be inspired, hear new ideas and build relationships with others in food and farming. For our 20th edition, we have focused on profiling the incredible talent that exists across Wales and the entire British Isles.
 
“We will be profiling exciting new food producers, meeting the chefs disrupting restaurant kitchens, looking back over 100 years of women in the kitchen, and exploring a whole range of ideas about how we build British food culture.”

People who have an NP7 postcode will receive 20 per cent off the cost of their wristband available online now using the code LOCAL or in person from the Borough Theatre in Abergavenny in May.

To qualify for the local discount, proof of address must be shown when buying in person at the Borough Theatre, or when online purchases are exchanged for wristbands during the festival.

Tickets are on sale at abergavennyfoodfestival.com.