Cromer & Sheringham Crab & Lobster festival launch...

Had great fun this morning photographing the launch event for the Cromer & Sheringham Crab & Lobster festival at Cromer's ILB boathouse.  The Crab & Lobster festival looks to be a superb event involving five key themes - art, food & drink, family, fun and heritage with the festival scheduled for 21-23rd May 2010.

The festival will have 'celebrity' and local chef demonstrations in both towns from a state of the art mobile kitchen with large TV screen to allow close-up viewing.  Members of the public will be invited to have a go at dressing crabs, cooking up a stir fry or taking part in 'Fishtucker' trials of mysterious sea creatures.  There will also be a cook-off to be judged by the two Mayors.There will be music including concerts by the Cromer Smugglers and the Sheringham Shantymen, art exhibitions, a film season including the first screen outside London of a new print of the Roger Corman 1957 classic "Attack of the crab monsters".There will also be the launch of the first World Pier Crabbing championship to be held on Cromer pier on 23rd May.Art created by local people will also be on show in the seven week run up to the festival from Easter - following the success of Norwich's 2008 Go Elephants! project and North Walsham's 2009 Hippo Hunt, both towns will feature a 'Crustacea Crawl' of up to 60 decorated lurid lobsters and colourful crabs.  3ft and 6ft models of lobsters and crabs will be available to any sponsor to decorate how they wish which may then be displayed in shop windows or outside.  At the end of the festival they will be auctioned off in aid of Sheringham and Cromer RNLI lifeboat stations.

Below, Cromer & Sheringham's town criers Jason Bell & Tony Nelson move in on some of the lovely food on offer today, this platter prepared by local chef Sean O'Callaghan. Below, these delicious crab cakes came from the Rocket House cafe, they were superb and I will certainly be heading back there for some of these beauties soon!Below, the crustacean's revenge!Below, Cromer town mayor - Hilary Thompson admires  Noel Gant's (Sheringham Town Mayor) new hat complete with real lobster which later started dripping.  Mmmm, nice!Below, Cromer Crab Company's Managing Director Mike Grey poses with the giant Lobster.The Cromer Crab Company are the major sponsors of the Crab & Lobster festival providing £12,000 towards this great community event.For the full gallery of shots from the event click here.