A NEW event aiming to showcase all that is good about Worcestershire’s produce and food and drink businesses starts on Monday.

The Worcester Foodie Fortnight organised by Worcester BID, which includes the Foodie Festival on Saturday August 1 and Sunday August 2, is new this year and aims to tempt people to try the city’s many restaurants, cafes and bars.

A number of local establishments are offering £5 and £10 menus to temp people in to try what they have on offer and it won’t break the bank. Those with an appetitie for social media can tweet what they eat tagging @WorcFoodieFest and using hashtags #Worcester and #Foodie. Those taking part could win a food and drink prize.

There will Breakfast and Lunch Clubs operating at certain cafes, bars and restaurants during the foodie fortnight. They will have special offers to help encourage workers, shoppers and visitors in the city to start their day with a range of breakfasts from a traditional full English to something more exotic and lure Worcester workers away from their lunch boxes and a break from their work surroundings.

There are also plenty of offers, competitions and activities for children on the theme of food, while there will also be a food and drink trail around the city from Monday July 27 to Sunday August 9 with a chance to win a hamper worth £50 courtesy of Carluccio’s, a high tea voucher for two courtesy of the Balcony Cafe at the city art gallery and museum and a £15 meat voucher courtesy of M&M Meats.

People can also vote for their favourite foodie shop window during the fortnight.

The festival within the fortnight sees multi Michelin award-winning French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli running free 30-minute cooking demonstrations at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on the main stage near the Elgar statue in the High Street on Saturday August 1.

Italian chef Felice Tocchini, based at the Fusion brasserie, Stoulton, near Worcester, and who also works for the acclaimed Novelli Academy, will be on taking to the main stage on Sunday at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm showing how to make mouth-watering Mediterranean dishes.

Other demonstrations will be given by kitchen utensil company Zwinning J A Henckels chef Paul Bough. He will be showing how to chop fruit and vegetables like a professional, as well as how to sharpen your knives and keep it in good condition.

Beer expert Richard Fox will be doing cookery demonstrations on the theme of reducing waste while there will be free tasting sessions at CrownGate’s Bell Square about matching different foods with certain drinks.

There are activities for children from free cookery workshops to a colouring competition. While a diverse array of street entertainment will be performed in the city centre.

Nadia Nadja von Dahlen, Marketing and Events Manager for Worcester BID said: “Last year we had the Worcester Foodie Festival for the first time. The Foodie Fortnight is new this year. There will be competitions, loyalty cards, food and drink trails, in store competitions and much more.

“One third of the stallholders during the festival are local businesses. It is important our local businesses are involved and we encourage city food outlets to source ingredients locally.

“We really hope the fortnight and festival raise awareness of the food and drink businesses we have. It is important people come along and explore what we have to offer. The two weeks is really to showcase what Worcester has.”

For a full programme of events and offers during the Worcester Foodie Fortnight and Festival 2015 visit http://www.worcesterbid.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Foodie_Festival_Proramme_A5_20pp.pdf go onto the Worcester BID facebook page or call in to the Tourist Information Centre at the Guildhall, Worcester. Many of the city’s food outlets including cafes and restaurants will have copies of the programme.