THOUSANDS of people turned out for the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival over the weekend.

Foodies, day trippers and families descended on Hove Lawns to get a bite to eat, try a new cuisine or have a tipple – and with more than 50 stalls they were spoilt for choice.

Street stalls and caterers came from across the country but it was the local traders who were proving a hit.

Betsy’s Bake stall tantalised those with a sweet tooth with rainbow cake, triple layer Victoria sponge and chocolate Guinness cake.

The Brighton-based bakers, now five years old, specialises in scrumptious home-baked goodies sold in the likes of the Theatre Royal.

Owner Elisa Bresciani said she wouldn’t miss out on selling at the festival. She said: “This is our third year here. We thought it was going to be monsoon weather, so it is already better than we were hoping – at least the cakes won’t melt.”

The rain was kept at bay but that didn’t stop a storm being cooked up by Southwick’s Caphe Republic. The Vietnamese food street stall served up delicious noodle dishes with lemongrass chilli chicken.

Andy Poole and his wife set up the business after falling in love with the South-East Asian country and the cuisine. Now Andy is on a mission to convert the people of Brighton, inviting diners into their home for Vietnamese meals.

Trying the cuisine for the first time was Linda Leisk, 66, from Worthing. She said: “I am enjoying it –it’s lovely.”

For the devoted foodies, a tent in the middle of the festival provided a chance to learn from the best chefs in the city.

Cooking for 60 people was Kanthi Kiran Thamma of Curry Leaf Cafe. He talked guests through a mackerel marinated in a green chutney dish.

He said: “Teaching people simple recipes is the whole point of live cooking rather than showing off how great your dish looks. Just a very simple dish that is achievable at home is best so people can try it.”

But the festival wasn’t just about food. Drink stalls were bustling with revellers looking to wash down their grub with a glass of wine or a cocktail.

Performing theatrics with bottles was a handsome Hawaiian-shirt clad bartender from the Mixology Group. The Brighton-based cocktail-making school served up a Jamaican Blackwell Rum to punters which left quite a fiery aftertaste. Wine lovers enjoyed the best of Sussex with bottles from Ridgeview and the Stopham Estate among others.

Trying Stopham’s pinot was Alison Orbell-Thomson enjoying the festival with her wife Madeline.

Knocking back a few sips the 48-year-old from Preston Circus said: “I like it very much so – we’ve bought two glasses so we’re definitely into it.”

Even boxer Chris Eubank made an appearance, getting off his bike to have a nose at the food on offer.

The festival is expected to attract 25,000 people over its three days on the seafront.

Nick Mosley, festival director, said Brighton is a gastronomic destination to be reckoned with. He said: “We have a wide range of businesses here – with 60 per cent Sussex based. As much as it’s about local people, the core value of the event is around promoting the city and the region as a gastronomic tourism destination.”

The festival continues today.