The Ipswich Waterfront Food and Drink Festival will be held in May and organisers are urging local businesses to take part.

The event line-up includes local and continental foods, a beer festival, wine seminars and tastings and cookery demonstrations from celebrity chef Ed Baines who will share the “kitchen” with chefs from the region’s best restaurants.

The festival on May 17-19 will mark the start of a two-week promotion to celebrate everything that is great about food and drink in Ipswich.

Organiser, The Market Square Group, is keen to give local food and drink producers, growers and restaurants the chance to be part of the festival and is offering a 25% discount to those supplying homemade/locally grown produce.

Anyone wishing to participate should contact Jayne Russell on jayne@marketsquaregroup.com for a booking form. Further details and online booking can also be found at www.marketsquaregroup.com.

n Meanwhile, final preparations are under way for the ISSBA (Ipswich & Suffolk Small Business Association) Exhibition being held on May 1 at Trinity Park, Ipswich.

“The Suffolk Business Exhibition is a fundamental event on the annual calendar for firms across the county,” said John Dugmore, chief executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce.

“Business is working harder than ever in challenging economic conditions and the exhibition is a great opportunity for firms to come together to find new ways of doing business in the year ahead.

“We encourage anyone who wants to do more business to come to the exhibition. Every year we get feedback telling us not only that business enjoyed the day but how they made contacts that will bring them new opportunities in the future. It is good for Suffolk, it is good for our economy and it is good for business.”