HUNDREDS of food and drink fans took advantage of the returning warm spring weather to sample the best that the Monmouthshire area has to offer on each of the two days of the county’s food festival.

The event in the grounds of Caldicot Castle brought stallholders from the county and beyond, and visitors from across South Wales and further afield. There were sweet and savoury treats aplenty to sample, along with a range of locally produced ales and spirits.

And some of Monmouthshire’s best chefs were on hand for the festival’s popular Chef’s Theatre, which allowed visitors to see how their dishes are put together.

Those showing off their skills were: Yvette Farrell from Harts Barn Cookery School in Gloucestershire; Foysal Miah, chef and patron at The Blue Cumin in Magor; Chris Harrod, chef and patron at The Whitebrook in Whitebrook; Dion Tidmarsh, head chef at The Golden Lion in Magor; Matthew Dawkins, head chef at The Castle Inn at Usk; Adrian Walker, accredited master butcher at Golden Valley Meat and Game near Grosmont; Tim McDougall, head chef at the Llansantffraed Court Hotel at Llanvihangel Gobion; and Mark Turton, chef and patron at the #7 Church Street Restaurant in Monmouth.

Mr Harrod, holder of a Michelin star and four AA rosettes, was accompanied by local forager Henry Ashby, and showed the audience how to make a number of spring dishes using freshly foraged ingredients.

He said: “We’ve been supporting the festival since it started and it’s always great to come here.

“It gives people the chance to enjoy the fantastic local produce we have in the area, and to encourage people to look into potentially using foraged ingredients for homemade dishes.”

David Powell, of Newport, was enjoying his second visit to the festival, and said: “The smells and tastes that the chefs have conjured up at these demonstrations are just amazing.“It’s a great celebration of what Monmouthshire has to offer.”

Elsewhere at the festival, among the fun and thought-provoking demonstrations at the Look and Learn Theatre, was one by Nathan Foy of Guide Dogs Cymru, who showed how visually-impaired people operate in the kitchen.

Visitors were also offered the chance to step into the shoes of a visually-impaired person, via a sensory tunnel.

Frank Greig, community fundraiser for Guide Dogs Cymru, was joined by guide dog Yalena and her owner, Hilary Lester, in inviting people to attempt to make sandwiches while blindfolded.

Mr Greig described the festival as an “essential” way in raising awareness of the charity’s work.