Brecon Market Hall was the place to be on Saturday as thousands of people gathered for a spectacular food festival event.

Now in its 25th year, Brecon Beacons Food Festival had everything you could possibly want in an event of its kind - wonderful food and drink producers, excellent entertainment, a healthy dose of visitors, and a strong sense of community.

The town was abuzz with excitement throughout the day, with many cafes, shops and other businesses reporting a surge of customers on festival day.

The market hall was the hub of all the action - which saw over 7,500 people through its doors over the course of the day. 55 Welsh producers packed into space, showcasing artisan products that ranged from chillis to cheese, biscuits to bread, and doughnuts to dairy.

There was something for everyone - with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options to cater for all kinds of dietary requirements.

A new innovation at this year’s event, the free Welsh Tasting Table, also went down a treat. Food maestro Shirley Friend, of catering company Fingers and Forks, was master of ceremonies for this portion of the day, as she took visitors on a culinary cruise through all the best produce Wales has to offer.

An educational corner with the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority also proved a hit, The feature attracted a lot of interest and provided a great platform for the Welsh food and drink industry.

A host of wonderfully talented performers provided a musical backdrop throughout the morning and afternoon.

The Aberhonddu & District Male Choir delighted visitors and exhibitors alike with their harmonies, with their set including a fantastic rendition of Anthem from the musical Chess.

Alive & Kickin’ Community Choir provided another highlight, whose musical set got visitor’s toes tapping in between mouthfuls of food.

Cor Meibion Talgarth Male Choir gave an excellent performance, as did Abergavenny-based choir Synergy with their four-part harmonies and the supremely talented Carmarthenshire-based Cor Merched Tybie.

All performers were very received by those at the festival and did well to perform above the hustle and bustle of food being enjoyed and discussed.

While strolling around the hall during the day, what was perhaps more interesting than anything else was finding out how the producers made their food and drink.

Each stall owner had their own story - a reason for starting their business - and each had faced their own adversities, not least during the past two years.

Whether the story was about healthy bacteria in sourdough bread, bees making honey, or what makes the perfect biscuit, each conversation was its own small insight into the artisan producers that make Welsh products so special.

There was good spirit and good food - what more good you want in a food festival? This is Welsh food and community at its very best.

Business was brisk between 9:15am and 3:30pm with 29 exhibitors selling out. Many stalls had specialist produce which proved very popular along with food and drink to be consumed immediately.

The main legacy of the event is that local food producers in Wales are able to showcase their products to a wide customer base who often place follow-up orders online.

Many of these customers are visitors from outside the area which helps to spread the word about Welsh produce far and wide. It is noticeable that each year brings new products and companies to the Festival which shows that people are always prepared to branch out and try something new.

This year, the Brecon Foodbank stand was organized by Brecon Rotary Club and raised over £750.

With an eye on the environment, just seven bags of rubbish was accumulated on the day, which was recycled by Powys County Council. The event was also shopping bag plastic-free.

Andrew Powell, chairman of Brecon Chamber of Trade, was the organiser of the event.

“Thank you to everyone - exhibitors and visitors - you are only as good as your last event,” he said.

“The event was 99 per cent Welsh artisan which I think is remarkable. Wales still producing some fine food and drink.

“The choirs were amazing and the free taste table, a first for any food festival anywhere in the Wales, went down a treat and is surely now a must for all food festivals.”

“Big thanks to Jeff Davies, Beacons Foods Group, BBNP Sustainable Development Fund and A2Z Food Safety for sponsoring the event, which was non-profit and very much a volunteer event.”

The Festival was promoted in the Brecon and Radnor Express, Brecon and Hay local magazines and flyers by hand to Talgarth, Bronllys, Builth Wells, Llandovery, Brecon, Hay, Kington and Crickhowell.

New for this year was a Facebook page and the new website, which can be found at www.breconbeaconsfoodfestival.co.uk