THOUSANDS have been flocking to Blenheim Palace over the weekend for a three day celebration of food and drink.

The Blenheim Palace Food Festival returned to the grounds of the World Heritage Site on Saturday for the fifth time.

Stars giving talks and demonstrations have included Raymond Blanc, MasterChef winner Kenny Tutt, Great British Bake Off 2017 winner Sophie Faldo and more.

The festival has also boasted food and drink from 130 stalls, including artisan bakers, craft brewers, gourmet burgers, international cuisine, traditional ice creams, and handmade sweets.

Though the stalls come from far and wide, traders from towns and villages throughout Oxfordshire were enjoying the chance to share their tastiest products with guests.

Among local traders delighting visitors with their treats were Tim and Annette Bennett, of Palace Cuisine.

The couple, who run their business in West End, Witney, were taking guests on a trip down memory lane with classics like Banbury cakes and Lardy cakes.

Mrs Bennett said there was a recurring phrase used by people who bought something from the couple’s stand: “We haven’t seen a Lardy cake in years.”

Mr Bennett, who said the pair’s business focussed on local and old fashioned cuisines, added: “This is our third year here now. It’s really nice and we do enjoy coming.

“We do get a good response when we come here. I think people like the homemade aspect of us. I make all the pastry from flour from Wessex Mill. Everything is made from scratch.”

One trader from the area enjoyed taking his company to the festival for the very first time.

Church Hanbrewery made its Blenheim Palace Food Festival debut over the weekend.

The brewery’s founder Christian Gyuricza said: “We’re based just a mile away from the palace but this is our first year here. We’ve only been operating for two years.

“I think that there’s a great vibe here – the whole thing is amazing.

“There’s a lot of stalls and they all have such a high quality of food. It’s a really great representation of what we have in the county.

“It’s really great for our image and letting people know we’re here. A lot of people don’t really know us. We’ve had people saying they didn’t realise we existed.

“It’s a really great market.”

Mr Gyuricza said that Saturday had not been a good day for beer due to the poor weather conditions.

However, speaking on Sunday morning, the brewer seemed more confident that he could be in store for some sunshine at the event.

As well as food and drink, there was strolling Jazz musicians, children’s storytelling, face painting, and an adventure playground to keep the little ones entertained.

This is the fourth year the event was hosted by Fantastic British Food Festivals, which runs a number of similar events in the south of England.