The North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival got off to a spectacular start at Holkham Hall this weekend, inspiring great hopes for the rest of the month-long EDP Bidwells Norfolk Food Festival.

The courtyard at the estate near Wells thronged with dozens of top local producers and thousands of food lovers from across the country as organisers celebrated the very best of the region's food and farming industries.

This weekend's event was the first of nearly 1,000 taking place between now and October 3 as part of the wider EDP Bidwells Norfolk Food Festival.

As the crowds flocked into the courtyard on Saturday, North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival chairman Teddy Maufe said he was delighted by the huge number of people who had turned out.

By lunchtime on Saturday, the festival had already exceeded its first day visitor numbers from 2010 and had passed the 4,000 mark by the end of the day.

Mr Maufe, owner of The Real Ale Shop, said the two-day festival was building on the success of its inaugural year in 2010 which had got people fired up about north Norfolk produce.

'This year the visitors have been spoilt for choice,' he said. 'We had nearly 60 food and drink stalls offering everything from land and sea.

'There's an even greater variety of stalls but we're still keeping that personal touch. We're determined to keep this about north Norfolk.'

For full coverage, see Monday's EDP.

To find out more visit www.norfolkfoodfestival.co.uk.