Top restaurants in Padstow, Cornwall showcased their culinary skills and tasty dishes at the eighth annual Padstow Christmas Festival in early December.
Many of the restaurateurs in this small fishing town on the north coast of Cornwall, a region in the south west of the United kingdom, were involved in the festival which attracted over 45,000 in a festive celebration of local food and drink.
Over 40 star chefs were in attendance, including household names such as Rick Stein and Paul Ainsworth, many of whom have restaurants in Padstow or the surrounding area.
The Padstow Christmas Festival has grown into one of the best known Christmas festivals in the UK, thanks in a large way to Padstow's reputation as one of the country's premier food and drink destinations.
The festival was centred around a huge, harbourside marquee where chefs gave cooking demonstrations to the hoards of visitors.
Among those providing culinary tips and advice were Nathan Outlaw from the St Enodoc Hotel and Redas Katauskas from [Padstow restaurant Burgers & Fish](http://www.burgersandfish.com/).
There were also hundreds of stalls selling local food and drink, as well as handmade arts and crafts, making perfect, last-minute gifts for Christmas.
Organisers said: It's the perfect opportunity to gather traditional and contemporary inspiration for your own Christmas feasts."
Celebrations began on on Friday 4 December with a winter lantern parade, before Father Christmas popped by for a visit on a horse drawn Victorian bus. This was accompanied by live music and carol singing as well as a spectacular fireworks display over Padstow harbour.
On Saturday hundreds of people gathered in Santa costumes for the Santa Fun Run, raising money for local charity Cornwall Hospice Care. The Padstow Christmas Festival ended with a thanksgiving Carol Service at St Petroc's Church.
Festival organisers and participants would like to thank everyone who visited this year and look forward to welcoming everyone back for more festive food and drink next year.
