Thousands of people have headed to Jimmy’s Farm in Wherstead today for the first day of one of the biggest events on its calendar: Jimmy’s Festival.
The line-up of acts is well underway, with Mr Bloom, Smitha and Albert Man among those who have entertained crowds on the main stage at the two-day festival.
In the Aspall Kitchen, acclaimed screen and stage actor and chef Neil Stuke, alongside business partner Tim Sheehan, have demonstrated the best way to cook wild rabbit, using local produce, and talked on the importance of provenance and saving local pubs.
It was followed by Lincolnshire chef Rachel Green who cooked four dishes - including Swiss roll and polenta tarts - in under 50 minutes, enough to feed whole tent and more besides.
EADT and Ipswich Star entertainment writer Wayne Savage said: “She had us stitches talking about béarnaise sauce shots and singeing her eyebrows off.
“It’s a bit on the nippy side, not that anybody’s bothered.
“The music area is proving particularly popular early on.”
Other acts to grace the main stage today include Chas & Dave and Jake Morrell, with headliners Scouting For Girls to perform at 9.15pm.
Singer KT Tunstall will headline the festival tomorrow night.
Jimmy’s Farm owner Jimmy Doherty said: “Suffolk has got so much to offer as a food location, as a music area, and we are really lucky we have so much support from the local community.
“The weather has been amazing, and the whole thing for us is that it is family based.
“I go to a lot of festivals and they have become more conscious of having food, and upping their game in being more family friendly, and with the whole farm it is about the community and being family friendly.
“It [the festival] is a celebration of all of those things.”
Also on offer across the weekend is a kids zone, a sausage eating competition and a demonstration from 2016 Great British Bake Off contestant Martha Collison.
Festival organisers have been buoyed by the crowd numbers on day one - with 7,000 having made the trip today and a further 7,000 expected tomorrow.
The event’s vibe has also been a positive one, the organisers said.
“I think we are a really good introduction to festivals – we aim to make it easy for people to bring their families and have a fantastic offering for people in entertainment,” a festival spokeswoman said.
“People seem to be happy. We have got a lot of people from Essex and London, but this is very much a local festival.
“We have local food producers, local arts people, and we want to grow that every year.”
Fans throughout the day have hailed the variety of entertainment on offer, with the relaxed atmosphere, the festival’s commitment to clearing litter and ability for children to enjoy the day as particular successes.
Even a scattering of a few showers this afternoon couldn’t put the farm’s faithful off enjoying the day’s music stages, dozens of food and beer stalls and children’s entertainment.
Those heading to the festival or travelling through the area are advised to allow extra time for their journeys today.
• Are you heading to the festival this weekend? Send your pictures to newsdesk@archant.co.uk
• We interviewed children’s presenters Dick ‘n’ Dom who will also be at the festival.
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