Age-old baking methods were mixed with high tech culinary surroundings when Blickling Hall's faithful cook and scullery maid showed off their kitchen skills.

%image(14991360, type="article-full", alt="Blickling Hall "cooks" Liz Scott and Bunty Gotts(left) and butler Malcolm Bird present a cookery theatre as part of the Aylsham Food Festival.PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY")

Flo the cook and Cath the scullery maid were joined by butler Mr Dunning - played by members of Blickling's live interpretation team - in a state of the art mobile kitchen, as part of the Aylsham Food Festival.

The culinary pair swapped the stately home's downstairs kitchen for the 40ft long AEG mobile cooking academy this afternoon to demonstrate their baking skills, as they made apple scones in front of an appreciative audience.

Their traditional pinnies and imperial measures were a stark contrast to the ultra-modern, gleaming stainless steel surroundings of the moveable kitchen, which has set up residence at Blickling for the festival.

This year marks the academy's first appearance in Aylsham as part of the annual foodie extravaganza and organisers are delighted to have it on the weekend-long programme.

Roger Willis, vice chairman of Slow Food Aylsham which is behind the festival, said it was a real 'coup' to have the facility at this year's event.

'It really does up the profile of the festival, which together with the other things we're doing this year which are also new, it's a really exciting programme. We're looking forward to it,' he added.

'This is the eighth year we have had a food festival and it seems to grow that bit every year, but this year we've taken a bit of a jump in terms of getting this (the academy).'

Mr Willis was also pleased to have Blickling Hall so involved in the running order.

He said: 'It's great to have such an important local institution getting behind the festival, which is what we want to encourage. And it's all for the good of the community.'

The food festival continues tomorrow with cooking demonstrations from Norfolk chefs on the academy's culinary stage, children's cooking sessions in the town hall, the weekly farmers market and musical entertainment from percussion group Bang On.

The foodie fun continues into the evening with country music and dancing, and is rounded off with the Big Slow Breakfast on Sunday morning. For full details about all festival events visit www.slowfoodaylsham.org.uk