Food and drink is on the minds of Melksham residents as the town’s inaugural culinary festival got underway at the weekend.

Nearly two dozen food stalls lined the Market Place on Sunday, while TV chefs Martin Blunos and Peter Vaughan held cookery demonstrations for members of the public at the Assembly Hall. The pair also took part in a pre-festival event at Leekes in Beanacre Road, which is sponsoring the nine-day festival, on Saturday.

Among the highlights of the launch day was a milk churn race held in the town centre, with a team of four from Melksham Town Council storming to victory.

Team Laurel, named after a Laurel bush in St Michael’s Church grounds, Canon Square, was made up of admin assistants Lorraine McRandle and Tony Bruun, caretaker Tony Baldwin and Joe Giddens, who stepped in at the last minute as a substitute for caretaker Mike Watts, who suffered a back injury.

Mrs McRandle said: “We entered our team at the last minute as unfortunately there were not as many teams entered as we had hoped, but the event was very well supported and a lot of people came out to watch.”

Her team secured the cup after battling against three other teams of four to push a heavy milk churn around the Market Place and High Street.

George Ward School students found themselves in the kitchen with the Michelin starred chef, Mr Blunos, making carrot soup. This was later sold for lunch in the ArtHouse Cafe in Market Place.

Mr Blunos also presented prizes to children for their drawings and storyboards of carrots, for a competition run by the cafe and Lovejoys fruit shop, called ‘A Day in the Life of a Carrot’.

The competition gave children aged between nine and 11 years old the chance to show the journey a carrot makes from the ground to their plates, while children aged between five and eight had to draw a carrot.

Cllr Pam Wiltshire, chair of the festival committee, said: “We were really pleased with the support on the day, the sun was shining, the crowds were out, and the town council are pleased with all the support and help from local businesses and FAB!, the festival organisers.

“We will be hoping to put on another event next year.”

The festival continues throughout the week with a sold-out Safari Supper to be held at three venues, including The Conigre Hotel, on Thursday night and a food demonstration by the Melksham Women’s Institute being held at the Assembly Hall today.