A FOOD festival returns this summer with star-studded celebrity chefs and chart-topping music acts.

Foodies Festival will be back at Hylands Park in Chelmsford.

The festival, which began in 2005 and has been dubbed the ‘Gastro-Glasto’, is the biggest touring gourmet food festival in the UK.

This year, award-winning chefs and star bakers taking part include MasterChef 2020 champions Thomas Frake and Essex-based MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 champion Alex Webb.

Food blogger and best selling gluten free recipe author Becky Excell, from Colchester, will also be sharing her expertise.

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She said: “I am really looking forward to coming. My mission has always been to reunite those who can’t eat gluten with the foods they miss by recreating all the things they can no longer eat.

“Food is such an important part of our lives, and I don’t want anyone to feel left out, fed-up or frustrated.

“You really can make anything gluten free if you know how, and hopefully that’s what I can show everyone at the festival.” There is also plenty of music groups attending too, such as Scouting For Girls and legendary boy band Blue.

Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe from Blue said: “We’re excited to be visiting beautiful Chelmsford.

“We’re also looking forward to trying out some incredible food. We’ve had some amazing dishes in the countries we have visited over the years, but to have such a mind-blowing selection from around the world in one place…we can’t wait.”

New features for this year’s event include ‘Ready Steady Chef’, where celebrities from TV’s biggest cooking shows will compete against each other, an opportunity to meet the authors of famous books, and a world chilli eating competition.

The event is at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, from June 17 to 19.

Tickets vary depending on length of stay and ages of attendees and can be purchased at foodiesfestival.com and on 0844 995 1111.