Preparations for the Thame Food Festival are well underway as the popular festival returns for the ninth year.

Foodies will get the chance to sample hundreds of goodies, including artisan food and sweet treats, over the two days in September and October.

Last year’s event drew crowds of around 28,000, with Bake Off's Nadiya Hussain as the celebrity guest.

Organisers are hoping for a similar turnout this year.

The festival started in 2008 as part of the SEEDA Market Towns initiative to promote the town and “provide a different platform for local food businesses to flourish”.

Visitors will be treated to a pop-up Milk Shed restaurant, the chef’s banquet on Saturday night, a Festivales Pop up Pub, a gin emporium, Hearing Dog’s fun dog show, wine workshops, The Big Thame Bake and a demonstration stage featuring celebrity chefs, Michelin stars and bakers.

The main ring will see hot street food being served alongside the pub and gin emporium.

Organisers also promise a “bountiful supply” of “stunning” artisan food producers showcasing and selling their food all weekend.

The main ring has more fun features, lots of hot street food which will serve into the Saturday evening alongside the Pub and Gin Emporium.

Lotte Duncan, patron and organiser of the event, said: “With nearly 20 demonstrations and over 180 stalls, plus the botanical gin garden, pop-up restaurant and chef’s banquet in the evening, there is going to be so much going on. 

“Many of our stalls will be offering samples, with several feature stalls like Magimix doing demonstrations with giveaways, so it is promising to be a great event and very different from any other food festival we have done before.”

The festival will take place at the Thame Show Ground on September 30 and October 1.