A BREAD-BAKING doctor is excited to be demonstrating at this year’s Abergavenny Food Festival for the first time.

Locum GP Rachael Watson will be taking to the stage at this year’s food festival, which will takes place over the weekend of September 18 to 19.

The festival usually attracts around 30,000 people every year and Mrs Watson will be joining a host of Gwent-based chefs taking part, in the festival including Chris Harrod, chef owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant The Whitebrook, along with Joseph Colman, head chef of The Bell at Skenfrith.

The mother-of-two will be showcasing her bread-making talents with 15-year-old Myfanwy Hywel in the Market Hall in the town on the Saturday, at 11am.

The pair, who are both Abergavenny residents, will be making artisan bread from sweet dough. The recipe is one that Mrs Watson has created called Poco de Pan – or ‘little bread’ in Spanish.

She said it is sweet, soft and sugary and is a perfect match with Spanish coffee.

She said: “I’m feeling quite anxious but really excited because this is the first time I’m going to have the opportunity to be part of the food festival.

“I am overwhelmed by the opportunity. I’ve been to the festival every year since I’ve lived here really. To be part of that is incredible – I’m just really excited.”

The baker started learning about the craft when she was six years old from her sister who was 16 years old and studying at a catering college.

But it wasn’t until 18 years ago, when Mrs Watson was living in New Zealand, where she went to be a psychiatrist, that did she rekindled her love of bread-making.

Now, the 48-year-old, is running Abergavenny Baker – artisan bread-making classes for people young and old, which will impart all the skills you need to bake delicious and impressive bread. The classes are held based at her home and participants so bakers can enjoy all-day workshops with views of the Sugarloaf Mountain.

Her artisan bread classes are inspired by cultures and traditions from around the world.

She said people of all ages can make bread and the festival is an opportunity for her to get children and adults involved in bread making.

She said: “As a GP, I want people, particularly parents, to recognise the importance of learning how to make great food from scratch.

“In a world of fast, convenient foods stuffed full of hidden salt, sugar and additives, - cooking food from scratch puts people back in control of what they are eating.

“As the Abergavenny Baker, I want to demonstrate that it’s easy and fun to make great bread. Not just to replicate what you can buy in the supermarket, - but to make all kinds of breads from cultures around the world – breads that simply aren’t available in the shops and will wow your friends and family.”

Mrs Watson will also be taking part in the children’s Food Academy on Sunday at 12.30pm and will be part of the Rude Health Rants, talking about the effect of gluten, at 2.30pm on the Saturday at the castle.

Headliners for this year’s food festival are MasterChef: The Professionals presenter Monica Galettitalking about her new cookbook, ‘The Skills’; chef and restauranteur Cyrus Todiwala; will be demonstrating how to get 120 recipes out of just 10 spices; award winning and critically acclaimed chef José Pizarro, and; offers a masterclass in Spanish cooking along with festival favourite Jane Baxter, who is the founder of Riverford Field Kitchen and will be offering a taste of her new cookbook, Leon Happy Salads.

For more information visitabergavennyfoodfestival.com andabergavennybaker.co.uk