Success for Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair 2015 02 Dec

The countdown to Christmas is on as shoppers flocked to Lincolnshire Showground's Food and Gift Fair this weekend to start the Christmas shopping early and sample some of the county's finest cuisine.

More than 8,000 visitors attended the Fair on 28 and 29 November with traders seeing stock fly from the stalls at what proved to be a busy start to the festive season.

Lincolnshire based Scrubbys had its best trading weekend yet and Horncastle mobile butcher Graham Fidling sold out of stock.

John Brumby, co-founder of Scrubbys which sells healthier vegetable crisps, said the show has grown year on year and it was great to be trading at an event which was supported by so many shoppers.

He said: "We launched three new products at the Fair this year and had a brilliant reception from shoppers. It is the third year that we have exhibited at the event and this year was by far the best trading day we have ever done at any event.

"We have seen the Fair grow year on year and through attending we gained a significant number of new customers, which is fantastic.

"It is so important for us as a trader to get to events like this and speak to customers to see what they like. The Food and Gift Fair is a brilliant shop window for Lincolnshire produce."

The Fair experienced increased advanced ticket sales of 20% as visitors flocked to see more than 150 Lincolnshire traders and cookery demonstrations in the Showground's newly titled Lincolnshire Kitchen.

Celebrity chef Ralph Skripek, known for his expertise on cooking wild game around the UK and making appearances on ITV's Countrywise and Channel 4's River Cottage, gave visitors a special festive demo.

Jayne Southall, CEO of Lincolnshire Showground, said: "We were delighted to welcome more than 8,000 visitors to the Food and Gift Fair this weekend. There was a real buzz about the showground as shoppers supported traders and bought locally.

"There was so much on offer with a vast range of cookery demonstrations, craft workshops and plenty of stalls to browse. We hope to welcome even more visitors next year, it is a brilliant day out for all the family and truly is Christmas under one roof."