Celebrity chef Phil Vickery is to return to the Bishop Auckland Food Festival – which takes place on Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19.
Phil – who has graced screens for more than a quarter of a century on ITV show This Morning – will be leading the lineup at this year’s festival. He last appeared at the free-to-attend Durham County Council event in 2023 – and this year he will be joined by fellow TV chef Chris Bavin – reprising his previous role as host – as well as Shivi Ramoutar, and Aaron Mountford-Myles.
Cllr Karen Allison – the council’s cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street – said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Phil Vickery back for April’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival.
“Phil has shared his expertise with This Morning viewers for many years and it’s great to have him back at Bishop Auckland. We’re also delighted to welcome back Chris as host, and to have Shivi and Aaron as part of our lineup. All four will be offering some fascinating insights into their skills that festival-goers really shouldn’t miss.
“We’ll also have an impressive choice of food from around the world and closer to home for people to try, and we look forward to welcoming them to Bishop Auckland to enjoy the festival with us.
“We’re really pleased to once again be organising an event with plenty for people to do for free, as we fully appreciate that money is tight for many these days. We also hope that local businesses and our economy once again benefit from increased footfall, as we welcome people to our fabulous county over the weekend.”
Phil has appeared on This Morning for 26 years, and has had two series of his own on ITV – Phil Vickery’s Pudding Club and Save Money: Good Diet. He has also made appearances on the BBC’s Holiday, Ready Steady Cook; and Proof of the Pudding. Away from TV, Phil is a prolific and highly regarded author, having written 19 award-winning books.
As in previous years, Chris will host the festival across both days. He is co-presenter of BBC1’s Eat Well for Less? and has also presented Tomorrow’s Food with Dara O’Briain and The Truth about Meat, and is co-presenter of BBC1’s long-running series Food: Truth or Scare with Gloria Hunniford. Chris was the presenter for two series of BBC2’s Britain in Bloom and a co-judge on BBC1’s prime time competition series Britain’s Best Home Cook with Mary Berry, chef Angela Hartnett, and presenter Claudia Winkleman. He is also a regular guest and reporter for The One Show and Morning Live.
Shivi can regularly be found on TV starring in her ITV series – Jimmy and Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast – and has also appeared on Saturday Kitchen, James Martin’s Saturday Mornings, and This Morning. She is the author of three cookbooks.
Aaron came to the nation’s attention last year, when he reached the final of Channel 4 series The Great British Bake Off.
Phil, Shivi and Aarron will all be giving cookery demonstrations at the festival on Saturday – with details of the Sunday chef lineup set to be announced soon.
The festival will also have a treat for those with a sweet tooth, with chocolate workshops from Paul A. Young on both days. Paul will be running hour-long Perfect Truffles masterclasses and Adventures with Chocolate sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Booking for these is required via the festival website.
For more information, visit www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk
