Dragons’ Den success story Lumberjaxe, the latest winner of The Great British Bake Off, and a presenter of Escape To The Country have been added to the lineup for this year’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival, which takes place on Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19.
Lumberjaxe, Jasmine Mitchell and Briony May Williams will all be appearing at the event, which is organised by Durham County Council and free to attend, on Sunday.
Lumberjaxe shot to prominence after their appearance and successful investment on Dragons’ Den, while Jasmine won last year’s series of The Great British Bake Off. Briony is perhaps best known for presenting Escape to the Country, but she too appeared on Bake Off nearly a decade ago.
They will join Phil Vickery, Shivi Ramoutar and Aaron Mountford-Myles – who will be on stage on Saturday – along with festival host Chris Bavin, who will appear across the full weekend.
The celebrities will join more than 150 traders offering food from both near and far over the weekend.
Cllr Karen Allison – the council’s cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street – said: “We’re really looking forward to Bishop Auckland Food Festival and thrilled to be announcing that Lumberjaxe, Jasmine and Briony will be part of the event.
“We know how important food and drink are to visitors to County Durham and how many jobs they sustain here, supporting our economy in the process. It’s therefore fitting that we can organise events such as Bishop Auckland Food Festival that recognise and celebrate all that food and drink contribute to our area.
“We can’t wait for everyone to come along and enjoy an amazing selection of food with us.”
Brothers Brendon and Jaydon Manders – AKA Lumberjaxe – created their seasoning and sauce brand with the purpose of making preservative-free products that are lower in salt and sugar. The brothers, who share a love of outdoor cooking, appeared on BBC Dragons’ Den in February 2025, securing investment from global business leader Emma Grede.
Jasmine Mitchell brought a calm, methodical approach to the baking tent during her successful run in last year’s Bake Off – earning five Star Baker titles and multiple handshakes from Paul Hollywood. Not only did she showcase an unbeatable set of skills, flavours and designs, she also shared her journey with alopecia and chose to bake without a wig.
Briony May Williams appeared on series nine of Bake Off in 2018, finishing fourth. She now presents BBC One property series Escape To The Country, and is one of the presenters of BBC One’s Morning Live. Briony’s first cookbook, The Retro Recipe Society, was published earlier this year.
Ahead of the festival, people are also being given the chance to take part in a competition to come up with a recipe for a pie that represents Bishop Auckland. The food festival has teamed up with Bishop Auckland College’s The McIntyre Centre to invite budding bakers, foodies and creative cooks to submit their ideas for a truly local pie that captures the flavours, spirit and personality of the Bishop Auckland area. Favourite suggestions will be cooked at The McIntyre Centre and judged, with one lucky creation crowned the winner and sold across the food festival weekend for everyone to enjoy. To find out more visit www.bacoll.ac.uk/piecompetition. Entries must be submitted before February 28.
The festival is also offering a treat for chocolate lovers, with workshops from chocolatier Paul A. Young on both days. Paul will be running hour-long Perfect Truffles Masterclass and Adventures with Chocolate sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Booking for these is required via the festival website – www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk – where you can also find further information on everything happening across the two days.
