Fun for foodies

Chefs will inspire people to reconnect with real unprocessed food and indulge the foodie within whilst still maintaining a healthy image - basically how to have your cake and eat it!

They will also demonstrate how to cater for food intolerances as ‘free-from’, organic and gluten free products continue to soar in popularity throughout the country.

And for the first time, the festival will include yoga classes, meditation, talks and cooking demonstrations from top nutritionists, health food bloggers and healthy cooks.

Another new feature is Grow Your Own to help festival goers learn how to grow their own fresh produce and herbs at home, whether on the allotment or their window ledges.

Creative Summer Workshops, led by creative chef and food stylist Cicely Violet, will include practical master classes on how to create psychedelic pavlovas, midsummer cupcakes and summer cocktails. These hands on workshops will continue the healthy living theme with a creative twist on homemade herbal cordial cocktails and fruit sorbets.

The festival will travel across the country from Scotland to London, finishing with a stop at South Parks in Oxford from Friday, September 1, through to Sunday, September 3.

A line up of celebrity and Michelin-starred chefs will showcase their culinary skills and inspire the audience in the Chefs Theatre, with a focus on culinary wellness, with farm-to-table dishes, sugar free cooking and ‘feel good’ food trends.

In addition, there will be a cakes and desserts theatre, drinks theatre, street food and a chance to learn how to cook with critters!

For those brave enough there will be a daily bug-eating contest where visitors can compete against one another by eating jungle insects from small ants to large juicy grubs.

Food of a more traditional kind can be enjoyed at the beautifully decorated vintage tea room, where handmade cakes and scones with clotted cream and jam will be served on china from a tea trolley by vintage styled ladies and gentlemen.

Other highlights will include an artisan producers market, kids cookery school, live music, restaurant tents and pop-up bars and a BBQ arena. The festival really is heaven for anyone who loves food and enjoys trying out new and interesting things.

For full details of everything going on, and to buy tickets (which are on sale now) go to the website, www.foodiesfestival.com

Friday adult tickets prices are £10, concessions £8; Saturday or Sunday adults £13, concessions £11. Three day ticket prices, adults £20, concessions £16.