Eat with your eyes, first. Then devour with your tongue. Taste, texture, temperature. Take your time. Take it all in. At the Foodies Festival, you’re in no rush. You’ve got the whole day ahead of you to tickle your tastebuds.

Foodies Festival is the UK’s largest celebration of, not just food, but also drinks and wellness. Guests flock to see Michelin-star chefs, Great British Bake Off winners, and top musicians. Running throughout the summer every year, this festival travels to over 10 locations. Take your pick – be it Bristol, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cheshire, or Chelmsford. Or maybe one of the major cities such as Oxford, Cambridge, London, or Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is where it all began. In the home city of founder Sue Hitchen, the first Foodies Festival erupted in 2006. Since then, the festival has spread further, and crowds have grown larger. Not to mention, the festival’s menu of masterclasses, producers, restaurants, and performers, has grown bigger and bigger.

Masterclasses

Throughout the day, there are many cooking and drinking masterclasses to attend, so Foodie Festivalgoers are spoilt for choice. At the Drinks Theatre, there’s a chance to taste liquid luxury – be that Bluestone Vineyards’ English Sparkling Wine, Premier Cru Champagne, or an array of rosés from the south of France. Then wander over to see MasterChef Champion of 2020 Thomas Frake in the Chef’s Theatre. Or head over to the Cake and Desserts tent to watch Great British Bake-Off winner of 2016 Candice Brown. Who could forget her Gingerbread Pub Showstopper?

Other famous faces include the MasterChef winners Irini Tzortzoglou and Kenny Tutt, as well as the Celebrity MasterChef winner and actor John Partridge. For those familiar with fine dining, you can see Michelin-star chef Glynn Purnell and Channel 4 Sunday Brunch host Simon Rimmer, outside of their restaurants and at the Foodies Festivals.

These cooking masterclasses are exclusive insights into the world of the UK’s top chefs and the chance to learn a thing or two to take back to the kitchen. Chef Nitisha Patel tells the crowd “Ginger, garlic and chilli – that’s the holy trinity of Indian food”. Nitisha also tells the story behind her revolutionary Dhalings Kitchen in Birmingham. Growing from the idea of making dahl the centre of attention, this takeaway service is a pioneer in South Asian cuisine thanks to its one hundred per cent vegan menu.

Shopping Village

The idea of sustainability and ethics runs through the festival from the masterclasses to the charities it supports. But nowhere does it culminate so prominently than the shopping village. The shopping village is the place to find artisan producers and an eclectic mix of up-and-coming brands. Here are just a few:

Barries

Beginning in January 2020, Ned Barrie experimented with his grandmother’s famous mayonnaise recipe and found that he could make it vegan without changing the flavour at all. Now, helped along by friend Roddy, Ned sells mouth-watering mayos with a twist. Choose from oregano and lemon to smoked paprika and from rosemary and thyme to miso and sesame. Selling at luxury farm shops such as Daylesford, Barries is the five-star alternative to Heinz or Hellmann’s.

Riverford Organic Farmers

Riverford Organic Farmers is the largest farm-based delivery service in the UK and has been running since 1986. With a selection of suggested boxes or the chance to tailor your own, there’s a sense of confidence when you order with Riverford. The organic veg is fresh, slow grown to enhance the flavours, and always of high quality. Their reusable and compostable packaging means that this is truly a service that you can use for life – and after one box, you’ll want to.

Sweet Doris

The smell of cinnamon. Whether it’s a breakfast treat, an afternoon snack, or an evening pudding, the smell of a cinnamon bun feels like you’ve been struck with one of cupid’s arrows. At Sweet Doris, the London-based boutique bakery, cupid and his cherub friends are at work the moment you walk in. Choose your favourite flavour, be it Nutella, Caramel Pecan, Biscoff or Sticky Caramel. And then choose another to take home, be it lemon and raspberry, lemon and blueberry or lemon drizzle. And for those with less of a sweet tooth, garlic and cheese or cheese and chive are the buns that’ll call your name.

Riverside Spirits

Riverside Spirits was inspired by 82-year-old Christine, also known as ‘The Gin Lady’. With such a variety of flavours, these drinks can be put simply with a Fever-Tree tonic, or experimentally to make a cocktail. There’s passion fruit gin for those who like the idea of a Pornstar Martini but can’t bear the thought of vodka. There’s salted caramel gin for those looking for a pudding shot. There’s Damson gin for those who, like Christine, don’t want to just grow and smell botanicals in the garden but taste them too. And there’s many, many more.

Riddles

Founded by chemist Charlie Odunukwe II from North London, Riddles is a mystery for the taste buds. Combining tequila with iced tea was a daring move from Charlie. But with the aim of finding a refreshing and sociable, yet healthy, drink, he created this riddle for our tongues to try and solve. Leaves from the exotic Moringa tree make up the iced tea element. Known as ‘the miracle tree’ in Nigeria, Moringa is high in amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. These leaves are then mixed with Premium Tequila and Agave to produce a low sugar, low calorie, gluten-free drink. With entirely natural ingredients and 4% alcohol content, Riddles is perfect for a picnic in the park or a pre-dinner party beverage.

L.A Brewery

After a weekend of drinking at dinner parties, restaurants, or events, it’s nice to detox. But detoxing can still be delicious. Louise Avery proves this in her kombucha drinks. Beginning from a love for foraging for natural ingredients, Louise has gone from delivering on her bike to having her drinks stocked by major brands such as Selfridges, Wholefoods, Leon, and Ocado. Her success is all in her delicious flavours. Whether it’s Sparkling English Rose, Lemongrass, Ginger, Strawberry and Black Pepper or Citrus Hops, all of L. A Brewery’s kombuchas are healthy, ethical, sustainable, and delicious.

Street Food and Drink

After warming up the senses with the tasters of the shopping village, guests make their way to the ‘Street Food’ section of the festival. Here, you’ll find food trucks and stalls of all cuisines. Fly your tongue over to Brazil, Hawaii, Spain, Lebanon, Vietnam, Italy, Germany or just about anywhere you can think of. At Belly n Bao, they combine their slow-cooked British pork with Asian spices and a soy caramel sauce. This sits succulently in a freshly steamed bao bun. And it’s served with cucumber, radish, mint, coriander, and kimchi. Over at Man In Pasta, enjoy their special of Fettuccine with Fresh Summer Truffle in a creamy sauce.

At Foodies Festival, the food is just one course of the adventure. Venture over to the wellness centres or enjoy a lavish glass of champagne to accompany your oysters. Then get tempted by the aesthetics of the cocktails. It’s hard to resist Pimm’s served from a Teapot truck or piña coladas in pineapples. All the drinks trucks are conveniently placed around the stage, so you don’t have to stray away looking for a top-up for too long.

Live music

The stage at Foodies Festival is alive throughout the day. Begin by lounging on the grass with a glass in hand as you’re pulled in by new sounds from bands like The Ha’pennies and The Zarrs. But when Sophie Ellis-Bextor comes on to perform Murder on the Dancefloor, everyone’s sure to be up and moving. With Toploader and Scouting for Girls also making headliners, Foodies Festival is a true family affair. Not to mention, there’s carnival wheels, dodgers, and a designated children’s section.

On paper, Foodies Festival is something to be devoured. It partners with Heart Radio, The Telegraph and luxury appliance company Fisher & Paykel. It supports charities such as Cancer Research, UNICEF and Musicians Against Homelessness. And it brings in Michelin-star chefs, luxury boutique brands and top musicians. But it’s not until you experience it first-hand, that you realise just how much you will delight in devouring everything Foodies Festival has to offer.