MARLBOROUGH’s first Food and Drink Festival will play host to Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo from the BBC’s cookery show Two Greedy Italians.

They will share their passion for good, simple, Italian food on the first day of the festival and Mr Carluccio will give a talk on the delights of cooking pasta.

Other celebrities joining the two-day event include TV chef and author Rachel Green and Guardian restaurant critic Jay Rayner.

More than 116 exhibitors will take their place on the Common on May 10 and 11 including local businesses such as the Bell at Ramsbury.

The festival is being organised by Green Events, which is behind the Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival.

Organisers hope the event will showcase the best of local and national food, wine and real ale.

One of the things that attracted the organisers to Marlborough was the town’s links to the wines of Marlborough, New Zealand.

The festival’s International Wine Theatre will be sponsored by New Zealand firm Yealands Estate.

John Rhodes, director of Garden Events company said: “We have local exhibitors and wine talks from all over the world including Italy, France, and even Marlborough in New Zealand.”

The festival will run from 10am-7pm on Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday.

For more information, visit www.garden–events.com