A popular food and drink festival is set to celebrate its seventh year running next month as it promises some new stalls following on from 2021.

Beccles Food and Drink Festival returns to the town centre on Saturday May 28, following on from a successful but delayed event in 2021 due to coronavirus restrictions.

Running from 10am until 4pm, the free to attend event promises some changes to the new format of 2021, retaining seating in part of New Market and the return of a cookery theatre in a new location on the terrace behind St. Michael’s Church.

More than 60 stalls will include a diverse range of food and drink stalls, many of them local artisan producers, as well as from the wider region.

Among new traders to the event will be those selling artisan charcuterie, cookery books, gluten free bakes, porridge, brownies, fresh herb salts and rustic oak serving and chopping boards.

Based around New Market, Sheepgate, and in and around St Michael’s Church, the festival will include a wide variety of world street food, including wild boar burgers, Hawaiian poke bowls, Indian snacks and curries, wood fired pizza, Thai cuisine and jumbo hot dogs.

The cookery theatre, run by East Coast College in Lowestoft, will feature local chefs and will be headlined by Richard Bainbridge, chef owner of Benedicts in Norwich.

The ever-popular Hanton’s Punch and Judy shows, sponsored by the East of England Co-op, will entertain young and old, while music performers will feature round the festival area throughout the event.

In addition to town centre parking, a free park and ride shuttle service will run throughout the event from Beccles Quay, where additional parking will be available.

Paul Parravani, lead organiser, said: “We have managed to hold some form of annual market or festival throughout the pandemic, but it’s lovely to be able to put on a full event again this year, and to celebrate the wonderful food and drink producers we have in the region."

Updates to the festival will be posted at www.becclesfoodfestival.co.uk, on Facebook and Twitter at regular intervals.