Taste of the Sapphire Coast as sun shines on EAT Festival

The festival celebrating the wonderful range of producers and chefs we have on the Sapphire Coast was marking its 10^th birthday this year.

Mouth-watering smells filled the air as thousands of people perused the wares from a range of the Bega Valley's eateries and catering outfits.

There was everything from gourmet creamy seafood slaw-filled baguettes to the humble bacon and egg roll, freshly shucked oysters to slow cooked BBQ brisket. And home-made ice-cream to finish off.

In the Longstocking Brewery 'wet area', local songsmith Sam Stevenson did what he does best with a microphone and guitar as people enjoyed a local brew. While over the road young Axl Arens served up his family-friendly lemonade.

Organising committee spokeswoman Amanda Heather said everyone involved was "really pleased" with the turnout and the day's success.

"We had really good numbers," Ms Heather said.

"We've had responses from a lot of stallholders saying they felt it was the best ever, and that there were a lot of people they spoke to who were from out of the region, which is a great result for our region.

"We were also really happy to see the traction we had with other local businesses getting on board, sharing our posts and supporting the event.

"Everything came together so well."

Among the highlights was the inaugural "oyster and spoon" race with six local foodies competing - Dave Arens the eventual winner after some fun shenanigans.

"It was an exciting new addition to the day," Ms Heather said. "There was a lot of cheating!"

Click or swipe through the above gallery for a selection of photos from the day.

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