Once the home of the infamous Oxford Prison, Oxford Castle is turning history on its head.

No longer a place where a bowl of gruel and a lump of bread is the order of the day, the Castle is now celebrating the very best of food and wine by staging its second Food and Wine Festival. What’s more, Oxfordshire’s Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc will be officially opening this two-day event, along with the popular wine writer and broadcaster Susy Atkins who spent her youth in Eynsham.

Organisers say that they want only the best for festival which is why Raymond and Susy have been invited to take centre stage.

Speaking from his office at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton, Raymond told me of his joy at being involved in Oxfordshire events such as this.

“I am so proud to be invited to open local food events. I have been here for 35 years now and have promoted local food since I opened my first restaurant in Summertown. I am also proud that Brasserie Blanc in Walton Street is seen by Oxford residents as their local restaurant.” He went on to say that at least 80 per cent of those dining at Brasserie Blanc are residents of Oxford.

When Raymond first began cooking in our city all those years ago, he found it a struggle to convince people that local ingredients, and indeed the dishes he cooked with such care and expertise, were important.

“For many years food was separated from our lives. It had been a commodity that was defined by shelf life and cheapness, but at last food is at the forefront of British consciousness, which is why food festivals such as the one to be held in the Castle grounds are now so popular. Enjoying a good lunch or dinner in a restaurant such as Brasserie Blanc is now as enjoyable as visiting a museum and as important as any part of the city,” he said.

Raymond went on to explain that we all have the power to determine what food we buy and where it comes from.

“Take just a simple apple. If we buy British we are aware we are helping to re-establish some of many orchards which were grubbed up previously. An apple from China may be cheaper, but shoppers are now beginning to ask how far it has travelled and how fresh it is.”

Raymond’s vision is to help bring back village stores by encouraging us all to buy local, which will help our villages come back to life again. He sees this as an exciting challenge.

He is delighted that the festival takes place during harvest time, when we are able to reap the rewards of all we have seeded. “It is marvellous to see that food is now being celebrated.”

Susy Atkins, who will be joining him at the festival, began her career as a young wine writer for Wine magazine in the early 1990s. She left the UK in 1994 to spend time the Barossa Valley, South Australia, where she worked as a cellar hand at the wineries.

On her return to England, she began work as the editor of Which? Wine Monthly, and became drinks editor of Delicious Magazine. Susy is now a regular wine expert and presenter on BBC1’s flagship cookery show Saturday Kitchen, which attracts two to three million viewers a week. Her many books that she has written in the past decade — two of which have won her major awards — are now in high demand.

She says that she is delighted to have been invited to join Raymond at the Oxford Castle Food Festival.

“It will be lovely to be involved in something at my home town. What fun it’s going to be,” she said.

The Food and Wine Festival takes place around the Castle grounds. Organisers describe it as a culinary adventure which will appeal to the whole family and provide an occasion for us to think about and celebrate what keeps us alive and provides us with pleasure and energy.

There will be live cookery demonstrations in the main square, where some of our great chefs will be revealing their kitchen secrets. There will also be wine tasting sessions, in which Susy will be involved.

The food stalls will give visitors a chance to taste Texan food, sushi and the great British produce now in season. There will also be a bread stall and others piled high with autumn produce, which will include tomatoes, beans, marrows and squash and fresh salad greens, many of which will have been harvested that very morning.

Underlying all that will be going on is the organiser’s aim to promote awareness of healthy eating, the impact of food miles and food waste, and the steps that we can all take to change our habits to make our existence more sustainable. The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18, from 10am to 5pm. Entrance is free.