HAMILTON PARK RACECOURSE LAUNCHES SIZZLING HOT SEASON WITH CELEBRITY CHEF JAMES MARTIN

Celebrity chef James Martin will tantalise the tastebuds of racegoers when he helps launch the 2015 SuperSeal season at Hamilton Park Racecourse with a bank holiday banquet of food and drink.

The renowned foodie is back on the menu by popular demand for a second year and will start the season in sizzling style with cookery demonstrations and top tips as part of the Sodexo Festival of Food and Drink on Sunday 3 May.

The afternoon’s festivities will whet the appetite with everything from delicious food stalls and culinary masterclasses to family-friendly laser quest and face painting on offer, while almost £80,000 in prize money will be up for grabs across the seven race card.

TV chef, James Martin, said: “Coming to Hamilton Park Racecourse last year was a real pleasure for me and will be even more so this time around with it being the year of Food and Drink in Scotland. I love to get people involved in cooking and the crowd last year were fantastic. This year we have more culinary delights in store so if you are budding chef yourself or just love food make sure you come along and get involved.  My menu will of course include some tempting dishes using fresh Scottish produce and I’ll be  sharing my top tips for cooking that you can easily try at home. I’ll leave it to the punters to share their top tips for racing.”

Vivien Kyles, Chief Executive at Hamilton Park Racecourse, said: “James made a big impression last year on visitors with his culinary creations so it made perfect sense to invite him back once again as we introduce our new season. This is a big day for us as our official racing season gets underway and there couldn’t be a better host than James to toast our action-packed calendar.

“The Sodexo Festival of Food and Drink is all about celebrating the best cuisine around and we hope more visitors than ever before join us for one very special event that’s not to be missed.”

The action packed opening day will feature some great racing including the £26,000 EBF Stallions Tangerine Trees Conditions Stakes (Class 2) and the £20,000 Totepool Buttonhook Handicap Stakes (Class 3).

The festivities get underway with gates opening at 12pm, with the first race at 1.40pm and the last taking place at 5.05pm. James will be in action at intervals during the afternoon whilst the free kids entertainment will be available throughout.

Other landmark events in the upcoming 2015 SuperSeal season include the 50^th anniversary of the famous Saints and Sinners Racenight with Collabro, Alea Casino Ladies’ Night with TV star Mark Wright, the celebrated Ladbrokes Lanark Silver Bell Racenight and the John Smith’s Fair Friday Racenight with Oasis UK.