ORGANISERS of a food and drink festival in Bury St Edmunds say they have been ‘taken aback’ by the huge response to the event.

The two-day free event held at various street locations around the town on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday combined food stalls with a farmer’s market and chef demonstrations – a menu of attractions that tempted hoards of foodies into Bury to taste the fare on offer.

“We’ve been delighted with the response,” said Mark Cordell, chief executive of trader’s association Bid4Bury, which organised the culinary extravaganza.

“There have been all sorts of foods to try and buy, from cheeses, meats, curries and fudges to vegetarian food.

“So many people have come through that some of the stalls sold out on the first day and had to quickly source extra produce for Monday.”

Mr Cordell said the farmer’s market held on Angel Hill had been a particular success and said he hoped it would become a regular feature in the town. He added that a small chilli festival held on Langdon Place had also gone down well.

The main attraction, however, was a series of cookery demonstrations held in a kitchen theatre on Cornhill outside Moyse’s Hall.

Upcoming British chef Oliver Dabbou wowed the crowds on Sunday before celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli took centre stage on Monday.

“Jean-Christophe was excellent. We’d set out 100 chairs and all those were taken with another 200 people standing,” added Mr Cordell, who said the purpose of the event was to show Bury at its best and ultimately improve the trading environment in the town.

He said: “The whole idea was to put on something a bit different in the town but at the same time give visitors a reason to come into Bury and see what we have to offer.

“The hope is they will like what they see and they will come here again.

“We hope, as a result, that businesses in the town have also benefited from the event and will continue to do so in the future.”