A food festival organiser has vowed to put on an exciting line-up despite cutting short its length.

Nick Mosley, organiser of the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival, said that the late date of this year’s Pride parade and concert meant the food festival has to be rescheduled. It will now take place over ten days in September rather than a whole month. He said the event in the autumn would be more focused, featuring an international chef exchange with two restaurants from Lyon, a Sussex wine gala dinner supported by local vineyards, and the biggest ever free Children’s Food Festival.

Mr Mosley said: “Rest assured we have a very exciting September line-up including our anchor such as the Big Sussex Market, Live Food Show, and the Sussex and The World Market.

“Now we do two festivals a year it just makes sense to make them more time focused. Running over 30-odd days in September creates huge amounts of work but no more income for the organisation.

“Running for ten days twice a year in spring and autumn creates a more intense period of activity that the festival team can deliver and promote more effectively.

“As Pride have appropriated the first weekend of September this year – traditionally the launch weekend of the food festival – and we’ve undergone lots of internal structural changes. such as changing to a Community Interest Company, it made sense to re-evaluate all areas of the festival and see how we can use our time and efforts most effectively to support the food economy and local communities.”

Karl Jones, boss at the Moshi Moshi restaurant in Bartholomew Square, believes that the festival should be longer. He said: “Household names want to get involved with the festival but they won’t put their money where their mouths are. “Also if the fees for the hire of council-owned venues were lower we would be able to run the event for longer.”

Details of the Brighton and Hove Food Festival, which is held from September 7-16, are online today at www.brightonfood festival.com and the free brochure will be available soon.