Scouting For Girls, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe from Blue, Liberty X and 911 will headline the music stage at a glorious food festival coming to Essex this summer.

Foodies Festival returns to Chelmsford for the second year with its biggest line-up to date.

Dubbed the 'Gastro-Glasto', the foodie extravaganza will take place in Hylands Park from Friday, June 17 to Sunday, June 19, 2022.

As well as a star-studded line up of celebrity chefs, the Friday will be a 90s nostalgia night with headline performances from Just a Little chart-toppers Liberty X and 911.

Lee and Simon from All Rise and One Love band Blue top the bill on the Saturday, with She's So Lovely pop-rock group Scouting For Girls headlining on the Sunday.

Scouting For Girls said: “We can’t resist a Foodies Festival! Stunning food and drink from around the world and some of the best chefs in the UK, trust us we know!

"We’re so pleased to be touring with the festival this year, it’s the best ‘holiday at home’ experience ever, with sunshine, great vibes and weekends packed full of music!”

Liberty X said: “Summer, incredible edibles and festival vibes…we can’t wait!

"It’s brilliant to be performing at the UK’s biggest touring food and drink festival. Bring your dancing shoes and let’s make it a big summer weekend to remember!”

On the food front, you can see MasterChef champions, Great British Bake Off stars and a legion of chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants cooking up a storm.

Festival director Sue Hitchen said: “This is a really big year for Foodies Festival.

"We started 17 years ago as a small event to showcase and celebrate top chefs and local, quality food and produce.

"We fearlessly ran nine festivals during the COVID pandemic last year and in 2022 we are expanding into new foodie regions with four brand new festivals to make us the biggest UK touring food festival. The public response has been incredible.

“We’re really looking forward to celebrating good quality produce in each of the 12 regions, bringing top chefs to cook live, with great musical acts so everybody can enjoy a fantastic day out with family and friends.

“We will have mouth-watering food and drink from all four corners of the world so people can experience new tastes and flavours.

“There has never been a better time to support local restaurants and food producers.”

For the fourth year running, the festival is supporting Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH) with tickets raising money for UK-wide homelessness charity Crisis.

More than 300 superb artists will perform on the MAH main stage at Foodies Festivals this year, with the best of local bands and an introduction to exciting new acts from across the UK.

MAH founder Emma Rule said: “I’m very pleased to bring this amazing line-up of artists to Foodies. I can’t praise them enough for their generous support in these difficult times.

“The last two years have been incredibly hard for charities and the hospitality industry alike. But together we can and will make a difference.”

At every three-day Foodies Festival, visitors can enjoy the Chefs’ Theatre, Cake & Bake Theatre, Drinks Theatre with wine, Champagne, beer and cocktail making masterclasses, a shopping village with award-winning artisan producers, Street Food Avenue, Feasting Tent, Cook Book Shop, Kids’ Cookery School, a fairground, the live music stage, and family-friendly areas with activities for children.

Tickets are on sale now at www.foodiesfestival.com and 0844 9951111.