THE POPULAR Hereford food festival says it will go ahead later this year and have dubbed the event as its comeback.

Organisers have pushed the date of the festival, held at Hereford Racecourse, back to August 28 and 29, having originally planned for June.

According to plans announced on Monday, the Government hopes to lift all remaining restrictions on social contact by June 21 at the earliest.

Smaller outdoor events will be able to go ahead in stage three of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's roadmap for lifting lockdown, but food festival organisers think it's best to wait until August.

RELATED NEWS:

Organisers said: "We will be trying to make the event as normal as possible, with limited reminders of Covid so everyone can enjoy a weekend of escapism from the last 18 months.

"Of course we will be following any guidelines from the Government which are in place at that time.

"From June 21 all restrictions will be lifted and so this stands us in good stead to have the most amazing comeback year.

"It's been tough for small businesses and vendors and we know people will want to support them, as well as enjoying a fabulous weekend in the, fingers crossed, sunshine.

"We could have gone ahead on June 5 and 6 with outdoor events being allowed from May 17, but we felt it was a duty to Herefordshire to not have a huge event at the end of the pandemic, as well as doing our bit to ensure that we can keep everyone who attends safe."

The festival aims to showcase the finest local and national food with vendors serving everything from Italian pasta to cream teas.

In 2018, rapper Tinchy Stryder was one of the thousands to attend the Hereford Food Festival weekend.

He entertained crowds on the main stage at the racecourse to crown what was a cracking two days of culinary culture underneath clear blue skies.