Video and photo gallery: First day of Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival
One for the pot? Celebrity chef Alex Mackay with one of the ingredients for a recipe he cooked up at Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival on Saturday. Picture: Karen Bethell - Credit: Archant
There was a definite nip in the Cromer air today, despite warm sunshine, as crowds flocked to enjoy the fifth annual Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival.
Families 'oohed' and 'aahed' around a tank of live crustaceans, all caught off the north Norfolk coast.
Some were allowed to hold them, under the watchful eyes of staff from the Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, who answered questions.
A cookery theatre saw a succession of chefs preparing seafood dishes, fishermen demonstrated the traditional crafts of lobster pot and net-making, and there were numerous food and drink stalls, most selling produce from Norfolk.
The weekend's events began last night with a sell-out festival concert in the Cromer Pier Pavilion Theatre hosted by comedian Olly Day and featuring the Sheringham Shantymen, French shanty group La Grosse Erreur, and entertainment from Nigel 'boy' Syer.
In Cromer Museum, and at the town's RNLI's Henry Blogg Museum, there were fun and traditional activities ranging from puppet crab making for children, 'gansey' knitting - traditional fishermen's Guernsey jumpers - and stepdancing by Cromer performer Fiona Davies.
This evening sees a first for the festival with a monster seafood paella cooked in the marquee on the Evington Lawns, Runton Road, by Charlie Hodson, chef at Cromer's Grove Restaurant.
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It will feature locally-caught crab, lobster and prawn with portions at £6 each available from 7pm.
And tomorrow the action, like the crabs, moves sideways to Sheringham where High Street towards the seafront and Lifeboat Plain will be filled with stalls, demonstrations, children's entertainment, morris dancers, and music from 10am-4pm.
There will also be traditional events at Sheringham Museum and the festival will end with a celebration service in The Lighthouse Baptist Church, Cromer Road, at 6.30pm.
? For more news and pictures don't miss Monday's EDP.