The amazing African fruit baobab will be celebrated with a week of festivities at the Eden Project starting on Monday.

The festival runs until September 28 and is dedicated to showing visitors how the delicious fruit is grown, harvested and used in food and drink.

Baoabab trees are native to tropical African countries and can live for thousands of years.

Throughout the festival, visitors will have the opportunity to meet Rosby Mthinda, who works with baobab growers in Malawi. Rosby will be sharing her experiences and showing visitors how the increased interest in the fruit has benefited African farmers.

The week is being supported by Whitley Neill, an award-winning premium gin which includes baobab in its unique mixture of botanicals - they will be offering a series of tastings and masterclasses throughout the week. On the Wednesday and Thursday mixologist Josh Linfitt of Propping up the Bar will be |showcasing baobab-inspired cocktails.

On Monday Frances Quinn, winner of last year’s Great British Bake-Off, will be giving a demonstration showing how baobab can be a tasty and |versatile addition to baking.

On Tuesday, September 23, Stephane Delourme, head chef at Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, will be demonstrating how to make a delicious Moroccan fish tagine using baobab. His colleague Stuart Pate, who is executive pastry chef at the restaurant, will be making baobab panna cotta with |pineapple and grenadine.

On Wednesday and Thursday September 24 and 25, Malcolm Riley, otherwise known as “the African Chef” will be |demonstrating his baobab chilli jam pasta, accompanied with a watercress and goats cheese salad with roasted pine nuts and baobab balsamic dressing. Malcolm was born in Zambia and now lives in Devon.

Eden is also getting hot under the collar this weekend with a chilli celebration on Saturday and Sunday.

See www.edenproject.com