A Michelin-starred chef who is set to open his second Kent restaurant will be appearing at a food festival.

TV personality Atul Kochhar will be holding a pop-up at Sankey’s Harvest Food Festival in The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, this weekend.

The twice Michelin-starred chef from Jamshedpur runs Indian Essence in Petts Wood, Orpington.

His newest restaurant, Essence, in The Pantiles, will be opening this winter.

Atul is known to blend traditional Indian flavours with modern techniques.

The 54-year-old has produced cookbooks, appeared on a number of television shows and continues to inspire aspiring chefs worldwide with his expertise.

This weekend (September 16 and 17), Sankey’s and The Pantiles have teamed up to present the Harvest Food Festival.

More than 12,000 foodies attended Sankey’s Spring Food Festival in May.

This time round there will be a selection of products to try from both Kent and national producers.

Burgers, hotdogs, loaded fries, a Greek BBQ, cheese, wine, gin, vegan offerings and seafood will all be on offer.

There will also be demonstrations by renowned chefs on The Pantiles’ bandstand, along with a selection of live music.

The event is sponsored and hosted by Sankey’s – which owns The Old Fishmarket in The Pantiles and Kitchen & Bar at Mount Ephraim, as well as specialised fishmongers in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.

Matthew Sankey said: “At this year’s festivals we have concentrated on celebrating our local area’s chefs and food influencers, and given them the spotlight on the demo stage, kindly provided by Great British Kitchens & Interiors.

“We’ve got some great demonstrations planned, with Richard Oddy [Roddy himself] of Roddy Burger fame showing us how to make the perfect burger, I’ll be doing a fish preparation 101 demo and we have got a couple of other surprise treats in store too.

“We also have many of the town’s best eateries represented on the stalls, of course Sankey’s will be there with our epic Po’ Boys, Paella and – new to the stall – Truffle Tater Tots.”

Kami Paulson, events and markets manager for The Pantiles, added: “Autumn is a special time of the year and although it means the end of summer, it does mean the start of one of the most exciting seasons in the calendar.

“Pheasant, partridge and wild mushrooms are all at their best, as well as the arrival of the new winter root vegetables crops.

“It's an exciting time for any cook or food lover.”