St Helens International Food and Drink Festival

ST Helens town centre was full of a host of exciting tastes and smells at the weekend, as the International Food and Drink festival landed in town as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations.

The free two day event, which took place over Friday, July 6 and Saturday, July 7, saw a variety of food and drink stalls from around the world set up in Church Square.

Stalls including ‘Chimney’ doughnuts, fried calzone, vegan carribbean, hot dogs, Asian street food, sourdough pizza joined live music entertainment from The Lancashire Hotpots and a Bavarian Oompah band.

A highlight was also the official Beer Tapping of a special beer Siebzig, a collaboration between Connoisseur Ales and Stuttgart brewery, Dinkelacker to celebrate the 70 year twinning anniversary between the two towns.

St Helens Council’s portfolio holder for building arts and culture, Cllr Gill Neal, said: “I was confident before the event started that the International Food and Drink Festival would be a huge success, but given the strong turnout over both days and the feedback from visitors, I’d go as far to say that it exceeded all expectations.

“A combination of beautiful weather and quality entertainment certainly provided the tonic for a great atmosphere which drew in the crowds to help us celebrate the borough’s 150th year in tremendous fashion.”