Food festivals are now a major leisure activity with a plethora being held annually across Oxfordshire. Here’s Katherine MacAlister’s pick of the bunch.

Oxford Wine Festival

Local summer food festival dates to add to the diary include the Oxford Wine Festival held in the Oxford Union on August 21 and 22.

It will offer tutored tastings, including a Rhone grapes and blends masterclass with Master of Wine Sarah Abbott and an overview of some of Argentina's finest boutique wineries with award-winning Malbec specialist Ruta 40.

A range of introductory tastings from lesser-known regions include Lebanese wines with renowned wine writer Michael Karam, and Greek wines with Mary Pateras from Hellenic specialists Eclectic Wines.

Last year’s Oxford Wine Festival was the first, when around 1,500 wine lovers attended, some flying in from as far away as the US and South Africa.

This year’s event will be significantly larger, with more wines, more tutored tastings, and more guests.

The festival brings together many of the UK’s leading wine merchants and regional specialists, and features hundreds of awardwinning and rare wines from over 20 countries.

The event also includes live music, an English vineyards room, artisan food stalls, and an extensive tutored tasting program from some of the world’s leading wine authorities.

Tickets are £20, to include 10 free wine samples, on the day
For advance purchase discounts see www.oxfordwinefestival.org
Over 18s only.

Thame Food Festival

Perhaps the biggest success story , this year’s Thame Food Festival which takes place on Saturday September 26.

There will be another stellar line-up including food legends Raymond Blanc and Sophie Grigson, alongside Breton baker Richard Bertinet as well as an array of local and artisan food and drink stalls.

Visitors can sail into town on a traditional London Routemaster bus and make their way from one end of the High Street to the other as the festival takes over the whole of Thame. Shop for local produce including charcuterie, cakes and cheeses; enjoy the hot street food stalls and see the chefs in action on the live demo and interview stages, hosted by festival patron TV chef and writer Lotte Duncan.

Raymond Blanc’s right hand men from Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Adam Johnson, Mark Peregrine and Benoit Blin, will also be out in force on the day. A first for this year is the Thame Bake Tent, where home bakers of all ages can put their baking skills to the test and battle it out to be named the festival’s best. Local cookery writer Jane Hornby, BBC Good Food Magazine columnist, baking author and Women’s Institute Cookery School tutor, alongside Great British Bake Off Winner 2013 Frances Quinn will be putting bakers through their paces on the day.

Other features for this September include a Belazu pop-up restaurant serving authentic Mediterranean food in Christchurch in the Upper High Street, with all proceeds being shared between the Belazu Foundation, which supports schools in Morocco and the Isis School in Oxford, and the Thame Food Festival itself. Before September, there will also be a chance to take in the glorious gardens at Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons on Wednesday July 1 when the two-starred Michelin restaurant serves up a special visit and lunch in support of the food festival.

Walk through the inspiring two acre plot with the expert gardeners at your side, admiring the tranquil Japanese tea garden, the elegant English water garden and the extensive vegetable and herb gardens before a four course lunch with selected wines in the unforgettable setting of La Belle Époque private dining room, for an exclusive price of £195 a person.

Tickets for these events are available from the festival web site at www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk

Now your only problem is choosing which one to go to.

The Foodies Festival

The Foodies Festival returns to Oxford’s South Park on August 29 to 31.

It is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a three-day feast of Michelin-star and celebrity chefs, award-winning artisan producers, food and drink masterclasses and more street food than you can shake a satay stick at.

This year a New Tasting Theatre hosts masterclasses in oyster shucking, bee-keeping, cheese selecting and vegan recipes. Visitors can also forage for herbs to create Healthy Herb Cocktails and Booze Infused Canapés.

Fans of MasterChef can look forward to 2014 winner Ping Coombes cooking her favourite dishes in the Aga Rangemaster Chefs’ Theatre, which visitors can then try for themselves at Ping’s Pop-Up on the Street Food Avenue. Michelin-star,TV and top regional chefs also share their favourite summer recipes, inspiring visitors to recreate these dishes at home and experiment with new flavours and ingredients.

The new Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre, features experts Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe to guide visitors through this season’s best wines and bubblies, while beer expert Melissa Cole hosts Food and Craft Beer Matching masterclasses. Chocolate addicts can learn How to Sniff Chocolate like a Rockstar from Coeur de Xocolat in the Cake & Bake Theatre.

A Street Food Avenue can be found at the heart of the festival, offering a huge selection of hot and cold dishes from around the world. Japanese,Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican, French and African cuisines are just some of the cuisines visitors can tuck into at communal tables in the Feasting Tent.

The BBQ Arena is perfect for fans of outdoor cooking with daily King of the Grill cook-offs. Or for those brave enough, the famous Chilli Eating Competition challenges entrants to try and break last year’s record of 14 varieties of chillies eaten without a drink to win the Chilli Eating Crown.

Little foodies can explore their taste buds and learn basic cooking skills with Picnic in the Park themed masterclasses in the Childrens Cookery Theatre, where Kiddy Cook will show them how to make finger sandwiches, jellies and chocolate bugs.

For details see www.foodiesfestival.com or call 0844 995 1111.