THE biggest gourmet food, drink and music series in the UK is coming to Winchester.

Foodies Festival will feature MasterChef and Bake Off champions and chart-topping musicians, including Scouting for Girls.

For the third year running, the event will also be in aid of Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH), with tickets raising money for UK-wide homelessness charity Crisis.

Festival director Sue Hitchen said: “I am so pleased to bring Foodies Festival to the beautiful city of Winchester, which has such a popular food market and a great local Foodie scene. We will be celebrating Hampshire's local produce and giving top chefs from local restaurants an opportunity to cook live in the Chefs Theatre.

“As we're outdoors and in local parks we are able to plan Covid safe festivals, and our experienced Health and Safety team are working closely with local councils across the country to make sure we take all appropriate measures and follow government guidelines to keep everyone safe.

“There has never been a better time to support local restaurants and food producers and we are all ready to enjoy a fun day out with friends.”

The festival will run at River Park Recreation Ground from Friday July 16 to Sunday July 18.

Scouting For Girls star Roy Stride said, “After a long, dismal year away from touring and seeing our fans, we’re all hugely excited to be playing Foodies Festival. It’s not just because we’ll finally be playing our favourite songs again to a real-life crowd as the sun sets on a perfect summer’s day out, it’s also the sense of liberation and relief that will come with the fest for everyone involved.

"The fact that we’ll all be able to sample an amazing smorgasbord of food and drink from around the world is another great bonus.”

Also on the line-up is top-ranked Lady Gaga tribute acts Maybe Gaga and Ultimate Coldplay, alongside 50 other artists.

Celebrity chefs will include Tom Rhodes, MasterChef 2021 champion; Alex Webb, MasterChef: The Professionals champion; 2020 MasterChef winner Thomas Frake, and Dave Friday – Hampshire’s home-grown Great British Bake Off star.

More than 150 exhibitors, most from Hampshire, will showcase their produce.

Dave Friday said: “I am really excited to be part of this event, foodies festival really gets me excited for summer so I will be whipping up some delicious desserts to get everyone feeling those summer vibes.”

Tickets: www.foodiesfestival.com or 0844 995111.