The much-loved Bridport Food and Beer Festival returns this month after a two year break.

The incredibly popular event will be held in Asker Meadows on June 17 and 18, kicking off at 6pm on the Friday evening with the opening of Bridport Round Table's Beer Festival. More than 80 beers and 40 ciders will be on offer, as well as a Pimms bar, a selection of street food and live music.

Kathy Dare, chairman of Bridport Local Food Group, said: "On Saturday, June 18, the field is transformed into a real family celebration of the best local food and drink available in the area. As well as great food and drink to suit all tastes, mainly from producers and suppliers within a 25-mile radius f Bridport, there is lots of foodie fun and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy."

There will be a children's and teens marque, cookery demonstrations by local chefs - including Mark Hix, Gill Meller, Pam Corbin, Sally Allan of Sally's Fishcamp, Jemima Giblin the director of Leakers Bakery, and Chris Chatfield who is the head chef at The Station Kitchen. Added to this is cocktail making with Dark Ber, a festival tearoom and live music by local musicians.

With the overall theme for this year's festival being 'reducing food waste', the #lovefoodhatewaste tent will provide visitors with demonstrations and talks from special guests, including eco-nutritionist Daphne Lambert. Find out how saving food from the bin is good for our pockets and the planet, how most of the food wasted is in our homes and how food waste contributes to climate change and also wastes precious resources which have gone into producing and transporting it.

The cooking competitions this year have been designed to enable competitors to show what they can do with leftovers and are open to amateur cooks of all ages. Visit bridportfoodfestival.co.uk for the schedule or pick up a leaflet from Bridport TIC.

The food festival runs from 9.30am to 5pm and the beer festival runs from 11am to 11pm. Adult tickets are £5 on the gate r £3.50 in advance from the TIC or online at bridportandwestbay.co.uk. Entry is free for those aged 17 and under.

The Bridport Food and Beer Festival is part of the Bridport Food Festival Fortnight, which runs from Sunday, June 12 to Friday, June 24. During the fortnight there are a host of different events in the town and surrounding area that showcase and celebrate the area's diverse food and drink producers, retailers and hospitality industry. 

On offer are tours and tastings, farm walks, special menus, dishes and pop-ups, masterclasses, a food and drink quiz, food matching, wine tasting and lots more.

For a full calendar of events, visit bridportfoodfestival.co.uk