Chef line-up revealed for Bolton Food and Drink Festival

MasterChef 2005 winner Thomasina Miers is one of the many chefs to take centre stage in the Rangemaster cookery theatre in Victoria Square. She will officially launch the festival on Friday, August 27 at 12.30pm, and will also be appearing at Bolton Market's indoor cookery kitchen at 11am. Miers said: "I am thrilled to be opening the Bolton Food and Drink Festival. Bolton has an exciting market working on innovative projects and offering the public an alternative to conventional retail outlets. There are few other places I'd like next door to me to do my weekly shop." Other chefs appearing include winner of BBC Fusion Chef of the year Aazam Ahmad. Ahmad said: "It's a great honour to be involved with Bolton Food and Drink Festival as I enjoyed it so much last year. The welcome was warm just as you would expect from Bolton, and it was a great chance to meet and talk to local food traders and try their products. "I'm looking forward to coming back from the Far East and sharing some new exciting discoveries." The following chefs will be cooking dishes on Friday, August 27:- Thomasina Miers at 12.30pm; school meals head chef Phil Ogden at 2.15pm and 3.45pm, and Bolton Council's head chef Steve Anderson at 3pm. On Saturday, August 28 Matt Nugent from the Olive Press will be cooking at noon and Aazam Ahmed at 2pm. On Sunday, August 29 two local chefs will take the stage. Nick O'Mahoney from Egerton House Hotel at noon and Bolton's very own spice girl Anjali Pathak at 2pm. The final day of the festival, Monday August 30, sees Dan Cross from award winning Red Bar and Restaurant, in Westhoughton, appearing at noon. Eddie Shepherd, award-winning chef at acclaimed vegetarian restaurant Greens, in Didsbury, will be on at 2pm.