DARTMOUTH Food Festival looks set to be bigger and better than ever this year as local organisations prepare for three days of culinary excitement.

The festival starts today and celebrates everything that puts the 'great' into Great British food, with dozens of stalls, homemade specialities and food demonstrations.

As well as appearances from celebrity chefs, including Mitch Tonks and James Tanner, the event includes dish ideas and specialities from local groups.

Nina Stanesby, from the Dartmouth Apprentice, said she was really excited to get things going.

She said: 'We are really excited about the food festival and we are certainly going to be really busy.

'Yesterday saw floor supervisor Abi and I in the Royal Avenue Gardens working on the children's day, which is organised by the Dartmouth Academy.

'We were showing the children a number of different herbs and vegetables and seeing if they can learn what they are used in and taste like.

'Today the children's theme continues with our special children's night, when a menu designed just for the younger members of the community is on offer and parents can come along too if they are well-behaved.'

Nina added: 'Then tomorrow we have the amazing Nick Strangeway, who is one of the world's best cocktail mixers here from 5.30 till 7pm, mixing cocktails and telling stories. It's going to be great.'

Dartmouth Foodbank will also be holding its own stall, complete with a tombola and lots of tasty treats.

Foodbank representative Cllr David Gent said: 'We're very grateful to the organisers for giving us the stall for free and would like to see as many people as possible supporting the cause.

'It's a great cause that does a lot of good for local people so the more money we raise, the better.'

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the food festival will be going all out to showcase wonderful dinners and drink, with themes ranging from the Olympics to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

At the heart of the huge event will be a top menu of world-class chefs and wine connoisseurs including Mitch Tonks, Mark Hix, James Tanner, Fiona Beckett, Henry Dimbleby, Holly Jones, David Jones, Richard Bertinet, Tom Parker Bowles, Matthew Fort, Jane Baxter, Christine Smallwood, Mark Puckey, Serin Aubrey and Monty Halls.

The advice from festival head chef and Serin Aubrey, the face behind several of the weekend's events plus a tapas themed stand in Royal Avenue Gardens, is 'come hungry'.

For the full three day line-up of events visit http://www.dartmouthfoodfestival.com">www.dartmouthfoodfestival.com or the official programme.