SUNDAY Brunch favourite Simon Rimmer got the second day of Bolton Food and Drink Festival off to a cracking start.

The 54-year-old celebrity chef, also known for TV show Something for the Weekend, was the first star turn of the day appearing at the Celebrity Chef Marquee, in Victoria Square, for the first of his three demonstrations.

He began by joking with the crowd about the news he will be one of the contestants in the forthcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, before getting underway with his culinary creation.

Aptly enough, this one was a brunch recipe – but one with a difference.

He showed the crowd how to make shakshuka eggs and African/Mediterranean dish and put a little twist on American pancakes with the addition of cottage cheese.

The crowd loved his genial style, even if the majority had to admit they had never tried shakshuka eggs before , prompting the tongue in cheek reply: “Come on, you’re in Bolton, the cultural centre of the north west,”.

Mr Rimmer, who hails from Merseyside but has lived in Manchester for several years spoke to The Bolton News about the festival he last appeared at back in 2008.

He said: “Every year it just seems to get bigger and bigger, it’s interesting because lots of food festivals have fallen by the wayside over the years and have lost a bit of their regional identity.

“Some you go to and it doesn’t feel like it has a great deal of links with the community , it’s just an excuse for someone to sell burgers or cupcakes, but this festival still has its heart very much in Bolton. It’s about Bolton rather than anything else – and that’s really important.”

And he also told about his love of food demonstrations and what he gets out of them as a chef.

“I think it’s something you feel a great interaction with,” he said. “ It gives you a reality in terms of what people think of your media work and doing ones local to me is always nicer. They are more inclusive. People get you more when you're one of them."

And he added that he hoped people would be inspired to do more of their own cooking – even if they didn’t try recreate his more adventurous dishes.

He said: “My role is to get people to cook. If somebody doesn’t cook at all comes to one of my demonstrations and thinks ‘that looks relatively easy, I might have a go at that’ – whatever level people pitch at – if people go home and cook something instead of putting something in a microwave then my job is done.”

The dad-of-two added that the festival could also open up opportunities for local producers and make people realise how lucky they are to have so many ‘fantastic food and drink businesses on their doorstep.

“They need them and should support them,” he said.