Top celebrity chef for food festival

Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott will be the star attraction of the fifth edition of the Mediterranean Food Festival, which is being organised by the Tourism Ministry in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority and the Eden Leisure Group.

Mr Harriott is the resident chef of BBC TV's Good Morning programme. His popularity grew with Ready Steady Cook and Can't Cook, Won't Cook.

"Ainsley is a charismatic, larger than life presenter with a philosophy that simple dishes can be just as good as fancy ones," the ministry said yesterday.

Mr Harriott will be in Malta for the second weekend of the festival and will be presenting two cookery shows as well as adjudicating a culinary competition. He will also be signing copies of his publications.

This year's festival, being held at the Eden Arena, will again include a Mediterranean Culinary Competition open to local and international chefs competing for the coveted prize with Mediterranean dishes. Amateur cooks will have the opportunity to compete for the honour of having cooked the best Maltese traditional dishes.

The arena will be transformed into a typical Maltese village with stalls displaying food from various Mediterranean countries.

Minister for Tourism and Culture Francis Zammit Dimech said yesterday that restaurants form an important part of the tourism infrastructure. There are over 1,000 restaurants spread across Malta and Gozo. "Maltese dishes distinguish our cuisine from that of other countries.

"At a time when we are doing our best to promote Malta as an experience we should do our utmost to encourage our local cuisine. Enhancing and improving our cuisine will place Malta on the gastronomic map," Dr Zammit Dimech said.

The Mediterranean Food Festival will be held over two weekends: March 2-5 and 10-12.