CELEBRITY chefs will go head-to-head in a Ready Steady Cook challenge as part of the Bolton Food and Drink Festival.

James Torode, star of Masterchef, will oversee the efforts of BBC Restaurant Wars star and owner of Manchester House, Aiden Byrne, and Bolton chef Mike Harrison as they cook up a storm with mystery ingredients.

The event is one of dozens of demonstrations by top chefs as they descend on Bolton for the four-day festival, now in its ninth year.

Mr Harrison, chairman of the food and drink board at The Octagon, said he was looking forward to taking on Mr Byrne in the ‘Cookery Theatre’, in Victoria Square this Sunday.

The Worsley resident said: “We wanted to do something a bit different, so we came up with this challenge with two different chefs, and asked James Torode to oversee it.

“We’ve going to have two completely different boxes — we honestly don’t what is in the boxes, it will be a surprise.

“We didn’t want to do it the same as the programme where it’s only £5 to be spent, but it’s not going to be too expensive either — there’ll be no lobster caviar.

“We wanted to do something with ingredients that people can buy from the supermarket and make for themselves at home.

“At the end of the day it’s going to be a good laugh — when you open the box, you just get an idea of what you are going to do.”

Tickets are still available for the Ready Steady Cook Challenge, which starts at 11am on Sunday at the main festival marquee in Victoria Square, priced between £5 and £8.

For tickets and more information about the food festival, visit boltonfoodanddrinkfestival.com.

Former Coronation Street actor and cheese connoisseur Sean Wilson will also be providing samples of his own produce to a cheese and wine masterclass at The Octagon from 6pm and 8.30pm.

Tickets cost £25 and are available from The Octagon.