Preparations for Melksham’s first ever food and drink festival are well underway with just over two weeks until the event launches.

Celebrity chefs Martin Blunos and Peter Vaughan have signed up to support the Melksham Food and Drink Festival, with both laying on free cookery demonstrations in the Assembly Hall on the opening day - Sunday, May 3.

Primary sponsors Leekes, in Beanacre Road, will provide a purpose built kitchen for the celebrity duo.

Mr Vaughan is patron of the Bistro and Cookery School in Devizes while Mr Blunos, a Michelin starred chef, has appeared on the BBC’s Great Food Live and Saturday Kitchen.

There demonstrations will be at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm on the opening day.

Mr Blunos will also be at Leekes for a pre-festival event on Saturday, May 2 at 11.30am and 2pm.

Festival stalls will line the Market Place on May 3, including those from Sandridge Farm, Jaquie’s Homemade Sweets, Widbrook Grange, Sweeneys, Neston Park Farm Shop and Thip Thai Cuisine.

A Milk Churn Race, organised by Melksham Town Council, will also be staged the same day.

Community events will include children from local schools, including George Ward, being invited to design a healthy pasta bake for Melksham using local ingredients.

The top ten ideas will be featured on recipe cards and will be distributed by Sainsbury’s with the top four recipes being cooked at school and judged.

Another part of the festival which will involve local children is a competition called ‘A Day in the Life of a Carrot’ which is being run by the ArtHouse Cafe in conjunction with Lovejoys Foodstore in High Street.

Young people between five and eight are being invited to draw a carrot and children between nine and 11 are being invited to create a storyboard about the journey local carrots make from the ground to our mouths.

Susan Drew, co owner of the cafe, said: “We will be displaying the entries in the cafe on our school wall, It is something fun that the younger ones can take part in.”

The closing date is April 28.

Other events throughout the week will include a cake icing demonstration by Win Rose of Melksham Women’s Institute, a pie and pudding night, a poetry evening, tea dance and a safari supper.

For a full programme of events visit www.melkshamfoodfestival.co.uk