Manchester Food and Drink Festival 5th - 15th October

Manchester Food and Drink Festival gets under way with an exciting programme to celebrate its 10th Anniversary...

Until October 15th, the city will be taken over by the most exciting food and drink festival in the UK. In 1997, directors Phil Jones and Chris Tomlinson decided it was time to prove that there was more to Northern dining than pies and gravy and so launched the very first Manchester Food and Drink Festival. Since then, the festival has gone on to attract the best chefs and most exciting local producers in the UK as well as getting a reputation for hosting exceptional events.

Our favourite events include:

Real Food Fair: Local producers and businesses showcase the best food created in the region, including Southport and Lancashire Honey, Cairns Brewery and Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese

Taste Pavillion (Albert Square): Three marquees will stand in Albert Square for the duration of the festival. The themed Taste Marquee offers the chance to sample dishes from various different cuisines; the Taste of Manchester Marquee will showcase the food of the best chefs and restaurants from around the region and the Chef Demo area gives you the opportunity to see great chefs in action and get your questions answered.

Ale Day (12th October, 10am - 4pm, Albert Square): There are 20 beers up for the prize of Best Beer Brewed in Greater Manchester, all waiting for you to sample them and vote for your favourite.

Manchester Food and Drink Festival Gala Dinner and Awards: The Gala Dinner is always a sparkling affair and attracts the biggest names and brightest talents in Greater Manchester. Last year, Odd walked off with Best Bar and EastZEast won Best Restaurant. Who will be this year's winners? Check out the nominations

And there are hundreds of other food fairs, wine tastings, special offers at restaurants, Q&A's with celebrity chefs and other events to get even the laziest of gourmands into Manchester over the next ten days. For a full lineup, log onto the Manchester Food and Drink Festival website.