The event in association with CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) will feature over 165 real ales, 60 ciders & 10 perries. Boasting the largest selection of Cider and Perry in the South West, this years event will also feature a foreign bar stocked with some of the best beers around.

Live music on the Friday evening will come from local musician, Luke Scott Dumper. 25 year old Luke, was born in Plymouth but lived in Scotland through childhood which gave his vocals a Scottish twang, before moving back to Plymouth in 2000. Performing in local venues including Fortesque, Junction, Voodoo Lounge and Jack Chams, Luke has been performing his Folk music across the South West and the UK. Luke is currently writing his debut album ‘Learning Life the Hard Way’ and in June 2012 he heads out on tour in the UK and Belgium with American singer songwriter Malcolm Tent. Luke can also be seen performing with Folk band ‘Guy Folk’ and local Punkhardcore band ‘F.T.O’ (friendly terrorist orchestra).

Onto the Saturday evening and the Plymouth Beer Festival boasts its biggest headliner in the history of the festival, Sir Bob Geldof. An Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist, Bob Geldof rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980. The band had hits with his compositions ‘Rat Trap’ and ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’. He co-wrote ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’, one of the best-selling singles of all time. He starred as Pink in Pink Floyd’s 1982 film Pink Floyd the Wall. Geldof is widely recognised for his activism, especially anti-poverty efforts concerning Africa. In 1984, he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. They went on to organise the charity super-concert Live Aid the following year and the Live 8 concerts in 2005.

Booking advised. Strictly no under 18’s. Open 12noon to 11pm, Friday & Saturday (live music from 9pm). Tickets cost: £5 except £10 for entry on Saturday after 6.10pm in advance or £12 on the door / £3 admission for CAMRA members (except Saturday evening) To book tickets contact the Box Office on 0845 146 1460

Taking place at the Half Moon Inn, Clayhidon, nr Cullumpton, the pub has good transport links – with the M5 close by as well as Taunton and Honiton train stations. The area is a Mecca for walkers & cyclists and there are many lovely walks and footpaths passing near to the pub as well as plenty of camping facilities nearby. The Blackdowns AONB straddles the Devon/Somerset border and the M5 and A303 skirt the north and south which has allowed the area to remain largely unspoilt.The area is an agricultural plateau dotted with villages and hidden valleys.

More information at www.halfmoondevon.co.uk

Hotel Street will make its own piece of history as it exhibits the iconic restored original flash artwork of the late Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins for the very first time in Europe. Paying homage to the father of old-school American tattooing, and the inspiration behind the spiced Caribbean rum that bears his name, the exhibition will feature 75 pieces of Collins’ legendary collection. Curated by Amsterdam Tattoo Museum founder and tattooist Henk Schiffmacher, the exhibition will showcase Collins’ values of independence, hard work and unyielding standards of craftsmanship to a new generation.

Every week, Hotel Street will be transformed into a music venue with an electric line-up of gigs from some of rocks finest up-and-coming bands. Already poised to hit the Hotel Street stage is:

Tuesday 24th April John Fairhurst
Tuesday 1st May Joe Gideon & the Shark
Tuesday 8th May Bass Drum of Death – with support from Cheveu
Tuesday 15th May The Sheepdogs
Tuesday 29th May Three Trapped Tigers
Tuesday 7th June Tall Ships
Tuesday 19th June Gallops – with support from Portasound
Thursday 21st June Brontide (Holy Roar label takeover)

…with many more to be announced over the coming weeks. Tickets will be available from 9am on Friday 13th April 2012 via www.Sailorjerry.com/uk, www.facebook.com/sailorjerryUK or in person at Hotel Street.

Hotel Street will also host a fortnightly Sunday film club, starting on Sunday 29th April at 6pm. A selection of infamous cult classics and timeless rock n’ roll documentaries will be screened with titles to be announced soon.

In another first for the UK, the official Sailor Jerry clothing and accessories line will be available to buy in person at Hotel Street during the day. Bringing Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins legacy and artwork to life, the range includes a selection of t-shirts, jackets, hoodies and belt buckles. Items from the brand new Hawaiian range will also be available exclusively at Hotel Street.

For more information on Hotel Street and Sailor Jerry, visit www.sailorjerry.com/uk

Fifteen Cornwall’s hugely talented local suppliers will be on show so you can try first-hand the great food and produce Fifteen Cornwall uses in its own kitchen. You can also meet the team behind cornishfoodmarket.co.uk to learn more about their great delivery service.

Learn how to make the perfect pasta dough, how to flavour and fill pasta and how to create all the different fiddly pasta shapes. You will be taught the difference between pappardelle, ravioli and farfalle (and, most importantly, how to pronounce them). If you’d like to become a pasta perfectionist then simply sign up for a course; contact 01637 861000 or visit www.fifteencornwall.co.uk/pasta-making

Thanks to Cornwall’s mild climate, the county harvests 365 days a year – so expect to find everything from spring vegetables, seasonal Cornish fish, local meat and a wealth of artisan foods. Your shopping bags will be brimming with gastronomic treats.

Andy will be demonstrating the latest Fifteen Cornwall dishes and explaining how to get the most out of the excellent produce on sale, as well as other local guest chefs – including: Matt Corner from The View, Whitsand Bay, Dale McIntosh from Bustophers, Truro and Jack Stein fromThe Seafood Restaurant, Padstow. Robert Hocking from Buttervilla will also be giving visitors a Spring planting demonstration – so you can learn how to grow some of this delicious produce in your own back garden.

Sean Willams, MD at cornishfoodmarket.co.uk, talks about his decision to work with Fifteen Cornwall: “It is a pleasure to be part of an event like this. It allows consumers both from in and outside of Cornwall to experience the very best that the county has to offer. Fifteen Cornwall shares our passions and aspirations in terms of creating a ‘virtuous circle’ of economic and social benefit to people connected with the food sector here in Cornwall. They have done a fantastic job, since they launched 6 years ago, in promoting efficient local supplier networks and creating opportunities both through direct employment in their business and, by pursuing the ‘buy fresh buy local’ ideal.

He added: “cornishfoodmarket.co.uk’s underlying philosophy is perfectly aligned with those of Fifteen Cornwall’s, given that our basic motivation in creating our business has been to re-establish the link between local food production and local food consumption here in Cornwall – making it easy for food shoppers to follow their instincts and buy fresh locally produced food.”

The Fifteen Cornwall Spring Farmers’ Market will take place in the Extreme Academy car park in front of the restaurant at Watergate Bay. Entry is free and there is ample car parking space.

A fabulous dress and matching accessories have been designed and assembled by talented young students Billie Cox, Alice Smyth, Jessica Dyer and Hazel Symons who are all in the first year of their BTEC Extended Diploma in Fashion and Textiles at the College. The students’ colourful and flamboyant outfit, made using Burts Chips packets, will be unveiled to the public at Exeter Racecourse this week.

The entire outfit will next be paraded in all its glory on Ladies’ Day at the Cheltenham Festival from 13 to 16 March. This outing will provide tremendous exposure for the budding fashion designers, whose vibrant Burts Chips dress is sure to make a statement amongst the sophisticated and glamorous attire typically worn for a day at the races. There are even plans to enter the dress in the Festival’s famous best dressed lady competition on the Wednesday of the four day meeting, where it will go up against fierce competition from some of the most stylish ladies in racing.

Course leader Julia Stean said: “The College is very proud of the girls’ achievements and we can’t wait to show off our innovative creations. It’s wonderful that we can showcase a much loved local Plymouth based company and celebrate one of the country’s greatest sporting events while showing off our students’ talents. It has been great fun and something really different for the students to get their teeth into; it really has been a fantastic experience for them. We’ve certainly enjoyed grazing on a lot of delicious crisps along the way too!”

Burts Chips is involved in a sponsorship deal with Jockey Club Racecourses which enables its crisps to be sold at its 14 racecourses, which include Cheltenham. Marketing director Leane Bramhall said: “We are so impressed with the dress and it’s incredible how the students have made the jacket to resemble tweed. It’s been a great initiative and we’ve really enjoyed our involvement with the college. We’re looking forward to taking the dress to the Cheltenham Festival now and seeing what the crowds think of our crisp packet-adorned model!”

The Appleton Estate Bartender Challenge will be the ultimate test of skill and ability of the best bartenders across the UK using the full range of Appleton Estate’s hand blended golden rums, from the Appleton Estate V/X through to the Appleton Estate 21 Year Old, all with the distinctive aroma of rich Caribbean spice – the hallmark of all Appleton Estate Jamaica rums.

To qualify for the regional heats (the Bristol one takes place on March 5), simply upload your entry on the Appleton Estate Bartender Challenge Facebook Page before the closing date of Tuesday 7 February.

Regional heats will take place throughout February and March across the UK, where 12 bartenders will go head to head in each region for their chance to make it through to the London final. Bartenders will be judged on a range of real life scenarios from technical bartending skills and knowledge to their charisma, creativity, personality and ability to entertain and charm the customer. Judges will include Jamie MacDonald, partner of award winning bar The Raconteur and newly opened Crown & Felon and Appleton Estate Master Blender Joy Spence.

Nick Worthington, Appleton Estate Brand Manager is delighted to bring the challenge back for another year, commenting “We are now entering the 3rd year of the Appleton Estate Bartender Challenge and we expect record numbers of entries in 2012 due to the availability of social media to help drive the interest and buzz around the competition.”

More info at www.appletonestate.com

To celebrate the launch of the film and chocolate, Hotel Chocolat is staging a chocolate tasting session before a special Valentine’s Day screening of the film at the Exeter Picturehouse on 14 February at 6.30. Melissa Shackleton at Hotel Chocolat said, “Love and chocolate have been intertwined for centuries – just ask Casanova! But we just fell in love with Romantics Anonymous because it’s a funny, sensitive film that shares our passion for chocolate. I think anyone who attends the screening will find that tasting our chocolate immediately before will greatly enhance their experience!”

Book for the Valentine’s day screening and chocolate tasting by calling 0871 902 5730 or on line at www.picturehouses.co.uk

For further information ring 01392 285960 or e mail exe...@picturehouses.co.uk

The Soil Association Food for Life awards scheme endorses establishments who deliver fresh food, free from undesirable additives and promoting high animal welfare. The scheme encourages the use of unprocessed, fresh, local, seasonal and organic food. More and more, people want to know where their food comes from and how it was produced. The Food for Life Catering Mark offers a guarantee that fresh food you can trust is always on the menu.

Komedia, which runs the award winning music and comedy venue, also operates a daytime Canteen within the impressive Grade One listed former Beau Nash Cinema. Komedia Canteen has now achieved the highest independent mark from the Soil Association, verifying that the menus reflect a seasonal, local and ethical ethos and that they use some of the very best food and drink producers in the South West including Pieminister Pies, Marshfield Farm, River Cottage, Bath Ales, Sydling Brook Organic and many more.

Komedia Canteen is open every day, Friday and Saturday evenings and serves food at the venues Comedy and Cabaret shows. In the day time the family friendly Komedia Canteen is open for breakfast & lunch. You never have to worry about the kids missing out on ‘the good stuff’ as the Komedia chefs have created a menu for the younger diners showcasing everything that is tasty from local and seasonal suppliers with dishes such as Golden Free Range Chicken Goujons, Somerset Cheddar Apple Toast or the local catch in a Fishcake. Komedia is proud to cook wholesome and nutritious food that the kids love to eat. With a further offer to parents, Komedia has also teamed up with Mulberry Kidz nursery to provide a crèche service for Bath parents which operates 10-2pm Monday to Saturday.

Evening diners can now also enjoy the very best in local and seasonal produce from the impressive a la carte menu on Friday and Saturday. This is either as part of Komedia’s VIP Comedy and Cabaret experience or for pre booked dining in the Komedia Canteen

The Catering Mark is open to all types of restaurants and caterers. The bronze, silver and gold tiers offer a step-by-step route to serving more freshly prepared, locally produced, seasonal and organic food. Restaurants with the gold Catering Mark use a wide range of organic ingredients and source half of their ingredients from the local area. Komedia’s Bath suppliers include Bartlett’s family run butchers, Bath Bakery, Simi’s Cakes, Grown Green and Newton Farm Foods.

Komedia Director Richard Daws said: “We are delighted that the hard work of our chefs and local suppliers is now able to be independently verified and that our customers will have peace of mind that their food is exactly what it says on the menu – the very best fresh, local and seasonal food.“

More info at www.komedia.co.uk/bath