ANTONY Worrall Thompson, Andrew Fairlie and Nick Nairn have been lined up for an expanding food and drink event.

It is also hoped celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall can be lured to this year's four-day Taste of Edinburgh festival.

The festival – which allows visitors to sample dishes from a host of leading restaurants – has announced growth plans for its second year. The event arena at the Meadows is being increased by a third from last year while the number of restaurants to be showcased will increase from 15 to 20.

New features include a wine school and sampling theatre, a new arena offering a food and whisky tour of Scotland and a showcase for the Edinburgh Farmers' Market.

More than 120 producers and exhibitors are expected to take part in the event, which starts on Thursday 29th May and aims to attract more than 25,000 people.

Organisers have also revealed they are considering taking the event to Glasgow in the next few years after being approached by business leaders in the city.

Sarah Forbes, director of Taste of Edinburgh, said:

"There's been huge interest from producers, particularly from London, but we're very keen that it remains a showcase of the best Edinburgh and Scotland has to offer.

"We're keen this year to have a number of Scotland's leading chefs taking part, like Nick Nairn and Andrew Fairlie, although it is still very much Edinburgh's event, so some of the city's favourite chefs like Tony Singh, Tom Kitchin and Martin Wishart are back on board.

"We're still working to confirm a number of celebrity chefs and we'd love to be able to secure Gordon Ramsay for this year."

Mr Wishart, whose Leith restaurant is one of three in the capital to have a Michelin star, described the event as "one of the culinary highlights of the year for Edinburgh and Scotland".

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 5th March.

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