Food lovers from across the region are to be treated to a feast of chefs at this year's North West Food Lovers Festival at Tatton Park, with no less than 13 chefs cooking during the course of the weekend from restaurants across the whole the region.

This year's headline chef is a firm North West's foodie favourite, Simon Rimmer. Simon, who is the TV chef on BBC 2's Something For The Weekend and owner of Manchester and Cheshire restaurants, Earl and Green's, will be cooking at the festival on Saturday 23rd October at 11am - 12pm and again at 1pm - 2pm.

Simon is an avid supporter of using local produce and can often be seen sourcing his meat from Tatton Park itself to bring only the finest produce straight to his customers. Guiding visitors step by step through some of his favourite dishes, all of the ingredients can be sourced from the festival exhibitors so that visitors can recreate his delicious dishes when they get home in the evening.

Teenage cooking extraordinaire and hugely talented up and coming chef, is Luke Thomas, a new face to this year's festival. Since winning FutureChef 2009 at just 15, Luke Thomas, now 16, has gone on to secure opportunities to work with some of the UK's most outstanding chefs, including Heston Blumenthal, Gary Rhodes, Brian Turner and Simon Radley. Never before has the festival showcased such a young chef and organisers urge festival goers to take this opportunity to see him cook live as not only is he a true inspiration to teenagers and young chefs but this may be a rare opportunity to see him cook live.

Born in North Wales, Luke mixed his school studies with weekend and evening jobs in the kitchens of the five star Chester Grosvenor Hotel & Spa, the acclaimed restaurant Soughton Hall, and alongside award-winning butcher Steve Vaughan. Enjoying every opportunity he finds, Luke has already cooked for Prince Charles, at the Princes Trust Celebration Dinner at the Duke of Westminster's Estate in March 2009. He also cooked for Princess Anne at the opening of Liverpool One in October 2008.

Another new face at this year's festival will be the Head Chef, Matt Leech, at Chester's latest culinary establishment, Marco Pierre White's Steak House Bar and Grill at the Double Tree by Hilton. Matt will be cooking a range of dishes that will both be an inspiration to budding cooks but will also give festival goers a flavour of what's in store at the new Chester restaurant.

Restaurateur and Ambassador for North West Food Lovers Festival, Marco Pierre White, said: "Since opening a restaurant in Chester, I have been astounded by the rich diversity and the sheer excellence of food produce available in the North West. I am very much looking forward to the arrival of the North West Food Lovers Festival, which will provide a culmination of the very best producers, farmers and food produce shops available in the North. I have strong links with the North of England and fervently believe that the area is fortunate to have a high calibre of chefs along with fantastic local producers and seasonal ingredients."

Bringing with him a taste of the Far East will be another new face at the festival, Norman Musa of Ning's Malaysian Restaurant and Cookery school, based in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. Mr Musa is a highly experienced host and cook, and at this year's festival he will be bringing his hands-on knowledge, passion, personal touches, inventive ideas and contemporary style to the dishes that he will be cooking on the day. Norman Musa will be cooking at 12pm to 1pm on Saturday 23rd October in the Taste Marquee.

Among the many chefs cooking at the festival, firm favourites return this year and include, Andrew Nutter from Nutters in Lancashire, Paul Askew of the London Carriage Works in Liverpool, Ian Matfin at the Abode Hotel in Manchester, Paul Taylor of the Fat Loaf, Dave Mooney of the Belle Époque in Knutsford, Chef Ooy of Manchester and Luke Thomas of the Grosvenor Hotel in Chester.

Now in its third year, the 2010 festival is set to exceed all expectations serving up as many as 130 food and drink stalls to its hungry visitors. Selling everything from local cheeses, ice-cream and free-range meats to the more unusual such as locally reared ostrich meat and chocolate beer, food lovers will be treated to a taste sensation like no other.

To learn more about all of the chefs at this year's festival and to book tickets, visit www.nwfoodloversfestival.com Tickets start at £3 for Friday 22nd October, Adults are £6 for Saturday and Sunday and children under 12 are free.