Broadstairs spring Food Festival was a tasty treat for around 22,000 visitors from across the south east.

The Easter weekend event broke all records and expectations as eager food fans hungry to sample the best in Kent flooded into the Pierremont Park arena in the town centre.

Festival director Jo Scott said: “It was amazing and overwhelming. At a conservative estimate we think we had around 22,000 visitors.

“This was our second spring event and we think the fantastic success of our early October festival helped drive up numbers and promoted it to a wider area as something special and well worth a look.”

The key to the success of the show is the wide variety of locally sourced produce from around the county, with new stallholders sought out by the Jo and the team “to keep things fresh and exciting.”

She added: “The quality of the produce and the creativity and originality of the stallholders was superb.

“The East festival was a great shop window for our Kent produce and it also was a very important spin-off for local traders too - there was a real positive buzz around the town which was lovely.”

An Easter hat competition attracted colourful and imaginative entries with every entrant receiving a prize.

Jo thanked all supporters of the festival in particular Kerry Millett and her team of “outstanding volunteers”, site director Mike Walter, festival chairman Malcolm Cox, plus sponsors and friends.

Broadstairs Food Festival is an independent community interest company not-for-profit organisation.

Money raised from stall fees covers about 60 per cent of the cost of staging the two events each year, with the remainder coming from sponsorship and from Friends of the Festival membership which is £25.

* To find out more about the Friends, volunteering and future events, email info@broadstairsfoodfestival.org.uk or visit the website www.broadstairsfoodfestival.org.uk

* A full picture feature will appear in next week's KM Thanet Extra