In pictures: Rugby families enjoy diverse range of culinary treats from around globe

Sizzling sausages, delicious doughnuts, and thirst-quenching ales and spirits were just some of the treats on offer in Rugby over the weekend.

It made Saturday’s Rugby Spring Food and Drink Festival the best and the most popular ever, according to Rugby First who applied their much-appreciated organising skills to the day.

Celebrating its third outing, the spring festival attracted many local families who came to enjoy the food and the funfair, and there were many out-of-town visitors who also enjoyed music and the artwork on show.

Roman and Iryna from Coventry entertained a sizeable audience in Saint Andrew’s Church Gardens, with a bouncy performance of Ukrainian folk music and some foot-tapping arrangements of familiar sing-along songs.

For the occasion, Regent Street was tightly packed with a colourful array of food and drink stalls, each one offering a diverse range of international or familiar mouth-watering flavours and each one contributing to the redolent spicy aromas that spiked appetites and overwhelmed the taste buds.

‘A plethora of gastronomic delights’ is how Rugby First described the experience, and they weren’t far wrong.

Rugby’s flourishing arts scene had a presence at the festival for the first time.

They were represented by a showing of some of the best creative work from the Rugby Artists and Makers Network, an independent group based at Alexandra Arts, in James Street.

Steve and Chris Davies, who took over the Alexandra Arms two years ago and renamed to better express the need for a focused venue, where Rugby’s fragmented artistic communities could meet and exhibit their work.

“Our network involves around 200 active artists in a wide variety of disciplines,” said Jenny Bell, a spokesperson from the network. “There is always something going on”.

Steve went on: “For example, we have an important regional event here next month; The Midlands Potters Association will be holding their annual Pottery Exhibition from May 3-5. It will feature the work of 15 studio potters who work in the Midlands area.”

Lynda Lowne, the Business Director of Rugby First said: “This event is one of the highlights of the town’s event calendar, bringing residents and visitors to Rugby town centre to enjoy good food, great music, and family fun.”