There were definitely more potatoes at the Pembroke Potato Festival on Saturday June 6, with six varieties of earlies for sale and four available to taste throughout the day.

Annabelle, a yellow salad variety, was clearly judged to be the Pembrokeshire New Potato of 2009, with tasters describing it as tatty-tastic, tidy and the clotted cream of potatoes.

Around 2,000 people attended the festival, which was held for the third year running in Pembroke's Town Hall. The main attraction was undoubtedly Lovespoon Gelato's potato ice cream, which producer Jo Knight created as a one-off especially for the occasion. Declared creamy, lightly spicy and deliciously moreish, it attracted wide media coverage both before and after the festival.

With activities for children run by Circus Malarkey and Space to Create and a series of partners who worked with Pembroke Farmers Market organisers Pembroke 21C, the day had something for everyone. Local potato growers were there in force, chef Hazel Thomas demonstrated new potato dishes, South Pembrokeshire Young Farmers cooked potatoes for people to taste, local schools brought in potato-growing projects, and Tanyard Youth Project served tea, coffee and cakes.

Organiser Elizabeth Gossage said: "The day had a real community buzz about it while clearly having a much wider and emotive appeal. It is a quirky idea for a food festival, but potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. Served simply with local butter and herbs, there is really no finer dish in the world!"

Regular producers from Pembroke Farmers Market were joined by other local food and drink producers and plant growers. Pembroke Farmers Market is held in the Town Hall every fortnight on Saturday mornings.

The Pembroke Potato Festival was supported by the Welsh Assembly Government Food and Market Development Division through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.