Farmer’s wife Helen Rebanks will star at this year’s Taste Cumbria Christmas festival in Cockermouth.
Plans are underway for the two-day event on Saturday December 9 and Sunday December 10.
Helen, whose first book The Farmer’s Wife: My Life in Days was published in August, farms at Matterdale near Ullswater with her husband James, who shone a spotlight on their family and work on Twitter where he is known as Herdy Shepherd.
Helen’s book is a memoir, interspersed with the recipes which have played a part in her life. She will be on the demo stage on the Sunday and sign copies of her book in the New Bookshop on Main Street.
Due to the Old Courthouse collapsing into the River Cocker last month, Taste Cumbria has been split into two different locations as Cocker Bridge remains closed to traffic – although does have a pedestrian walkway.
At that end of Main Street there will be entertainment, from street theatre to live music, plus stalls.
In Market Place there will be a hot food court, demo stage, fairground rides and loads of family fun. This will also be the setting for the music stage – expect Christmas carols, brass bands and all the tunes to get you in the festive spirit.
The rest of Main Street will remain open to traffic, and Station Street will run one-way as usual. Vehicle access will still be in place down Castlegate to Bitterbeck car park, and along St Helen’s Street and Kirkgate.
The event programme will also include:
- Face painting
- Santa’s Grotto at the Pilates Studio (Saturday only)
- Gingerbread men decorating
- Letters to Santa and Santa’s postbox
- festive balloon sculpting
- Disney Princess walkabout
- Fairground rides
- Producers stalls
- Cooking demos
- Two live music stages
This year’s Taste Cumbria Christmas is organised by Cumberland Council, sponsored by Cockermouth Town Council, The Coffee Kitchen Bakery, Iggesund Holmen and Milburns Solicitors, and supported by Cockermouth & District Chamber of Trade.
