A record number of visitors enjoyed the Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair at the weekend.
Derbyshire County Council held our twelfth annual event on Saturday and Sunday, staging it in the grounds of our Elvaston Castle and Country Park for the first time.
And 15,600 visitors enjoyed a weekend of culinary celebration which included around 150 stalls selling produce from Derbyshire and further afield.
Celebrity chefs Valentine Warner and Rosemary Shrager shared their skills in the cookery theatre and there were demonstrations throughout the weekend by leading local chefs.
Councillor Joan Dixon, our Cabinet Member for Jobs, Economy and Transport, said:
"We had a fantastic weekend at our Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair, which continues to go from strength-to-strength."The fair was launched over a decade ago to support our food and drink producers and boost the local economy, and that's what it does - bringing together 15,600 potential customers in one weekend.
"It was great to meet so many innovative and talented Derbyshire business people. Many of them told me that they'd established links with other producers to do business together and keep spend local.
"And it was good to see so many families supporting local businesses by coming to the fair and enjoying a superb weekend of entertainment."
Toyota Motor Corporation sponsored the Japanese Pavilion which was staffed by visitors from Toyota City in Japan who are visiting the county to celebrate 15 years of twinning with Derbyshire. They greeted visitors with a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, sake and snacks.
McArthur Glen East Midlands Designer Outlet sponsored the cookery theatre for the second year running and Midlands Co-operative Society sponsored the event for the fourth year running.
DCC launched Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair in 2002 to showcase local produce. The event has previously been held at Bolsover Castle, Kedleston Hall and Hardwick Hall, where the previous attendance high of 13,500 was recorded last year.
