A look ahead to the Christmas Foodies Festival at Tatton Park.

Foodies Festival showcases Cheshire’s finest food and drink

A hearty helping of award-winning food and drink will be on the menu when some of Cheshire's finest producers showcase their talents at the Christmas Foodies Festival at Tatton Park.

The UK's biggest celebration of food and drink, which returns to the county next month for three days of mouth-watering festive fun, has also announced that two culinary heavyweights - MasterChef 2015 champion Simon Wood and last year's finalist David Crichton - will be cooking up a storm andsharing some of their kitchen secrets with thousands of foodie lovers.

Great British Life: Christmas Foodies Festival Christmas Foodies Festival (Image: Archant)

The Foodies Festival welcomed more than 20,000 visitors to the picturesque Tatton Park for its summer crowd-puller and this year's eagerly-anticipated Christmas event, which returns from November 15-17, promises to be even bigger thanks to a star studded line-up and a host of fun-filled attractions.

Nearly 100 exhibitors will be attending the festival, many of which will be offering a wide variety of tasty treats and Christmas-themed cuisine, including some of the finest food and drink producers from Cheshire showcasing a diverse range of goods from handcrafted pies, cakes and festive fancies to artisan gin, cider and whisky.

Festival director Sue Hitchen said: "Cheshire is a really innovative place when it comes to food and drink produce and we're really excited to have so many high quality exhibitors on show at our Christmas event at Tatton Park.

"The produce is so diverse and wide-ranging. Cheshire really is a place for new concepts. There will be award-winning whisky and tonics to enjoy as well as cuisines combining South African and British tastes.

Great British Life: Getting into the spirit of the mince-pie eating competition Getting into the spirit of the mince-pie eating competition (Image: Archant)

"And there will be a traditional focus too with artisan pies, delicious brownies and much more. Our huge selection of producers literally have something for everyone and with it being the run up to Christmas it really is the perfect time to indulge!

"We've got a fantastic line up of star chefs and a huge number of attractions for the whole family that will not only get you in the festive spirit but help with Christmas present ideas and decorations."

MasterChef stars Simon Wood, who was victorious during the 2015 series, and David Crichton who has recently launched his own luxury chocolate range will be sharing their expertise on stage, along with Great British Menu stars Aiden Byrne and Adam Reid as well as chefs from Cheshire's finest restaurants.

Food-lovers can also enjoy an array of tasty attractions including an Artisan Christmas Market with hampers and gifts from local producers, a Festive Workshop featuring cupcake decorating, mince pie eating contests, festive tipples in the Drinks Theatre, street food and Christmas delicacies from around the world.

Foodies Festival promises to bring extra sparkle in the run up to Christmas. Families can get into the festive spirit with carol singing and gingerbread-making in the Elves Cookery School.

Attractions are under cover in a festive-themed marquee and access to masterclasses and workshops are included in the ticket price.

For more information and tickets, including VIP packages with bubbly on arrival and snacks all day, visit www.foodiesfestival.com