A CELEBRITY chef is planning to transform a park into a pub-lovers’ paradise.

Tom Kerridge has announced the first pubs and restaurants which will feature at his Pub In The Park event in Chichester later this year.

The Michelin-starred cook will be also joined by other superstar chefs for the three-day food festival, subject to its licence being granted.

The event is a “celebration of everything there is to love about the glorious British pub”.

Tom will be taking a selection of his favourite venues with him in pop-up form as he tours the country hosting Pub In The Park, with the festival coming to the South East between May 29 and May 31.

In a recent announcement, the chef has revealed which pubs and restaurants will be travelling to Chichester for the event, the first time it will be hosted in Sussex.

The Hand And Flowers, Kerridge’s own two-Michelin-starred pub in Marlow, will be one of those to make the trip to the city.

The Kentish Hare, The Half Moon Inn in Kirdford, Tim Allen’s Flitch Of Bacon, Indian trained chef Cyrus Todiwala’s Café Spice Namaste in London and Stephen Terry’s The Hardwick will also be hosting pop-up stands.

A range of dishes will be available for £5 at each stand.

Visitors will be treated to “tasty dishes and great live music” as the event looks to create “a relaxed and intimate gathering supporting and celebrating local talent, as well as presenting some of the biggest names in food and music”.

A spokesman for the event said: “At each venue, there’ll be Michelin-starred and award-winning pubs and restaurants serving tasting dishes showing their signature style.

“Every event will celebrate the very best food the country has to offer, combined with fantastic live music, chef demonstrations, top quality shopping and other festival fun.

“With more restaurants this year than ever before, the line-up is looking bigger and better with some stunning pubs and restaurants.”

Talented chef Tom Kerridge was born in Salisbury and gained global plaudits when he shed 12 stone using a new eating technique.

He lost the weight through the “dopamine diet”.

This features recipes with ingredients which release dopamine, colloquially termed the “happy hormone”, in the brain.

These include dairy foods such as milk cheese and yoghurt, unprocessed meats such as beef, chicken and turkey, fruit and vegetables, and dark chocolate.

But it bans alcohol and involves eating small, regular low-carb meals throughout the day.

The diet involves eating greater quantities of high protein foods, which could give the same dopamine release as unhealthy alternatives such as sugary, fatty foods which also provoke a dopamine release.

So, the diet promises to fill people up and make them happier.

Tom is a key proponent of this way of eating, using it in many of his recipes, and said he aims to encourage families to find the time to make and eat healthy meals together.

He told Hello Magazine: “I want to help people to discover this for themselves and reap the rewards.

“The first step is to cook more fresh food from scratch and thereby reduce the amount of convenience food consumed.

“This is where it all begins – and needs to continue.

“For non-cooks, this means learning to cook and building confidence. For lapsed cooks, this means dusting off the apron and rebooting old skills.”

Tom has hosted and featured in several TV shows including Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food, Lose Weight And Get Fit with Tom Kerridge and The Best Of British Takeaways.

But he now has his eyes firmly set on the Pub In The Park event, saying past years had been an “absolute blast”.

He said: “I’ve had a sneak peek at the line-up for 2020, and wow, it looks good: tasty food, more amazing chefs and awesome musicians, all in your local park.”

Steve Lane, managing director of the festival, said: “We’re thrilled at the prospect of bringing our brilliant food, drink and music festival to eight towns in 2020, including two brand new venues.

“Tom or one of his incredible band of chef friends will be hosting each festival.

“Watch out for more line-up announcements, and tickets will be on sale in January.”

The event will also visit Marlow, Dulwich, Tunbridge Wells, Warwick, Chiswick, Bath and St Albans.