THOUSANDS of food lovers are flocking to Oxford’s South Park this weekend to enjoy the first Oxford Foodies Festival.

Top chefs including Martin Blunos, the star of Channel 4 TV show Ironchef, are sharing their skills alongside Oxfordshire chefs at the three-day event, supported by the Oxford Mail, which finishes today.

Fans flocked to see England World Cup-winning rugby player Matt Dawson on Saturday, who was covering the event in his new role as a presenter for the Good Food TV channel.

Last night festival spokesman Roben Hera said the first two days had been a “brilliant success”.

She said: “We had more than 6,000 people through the gate on Saturday alone, which shows how well received the event has been. Everybody is making us feel very welcome in Oxford and we’re delighted to be here.

“The quality of produce is fantastic and the demonstrations by the chefs, including Martin Blunos, are proving to be a brilliant success.

“We would love to see as many people as possible heading along today to enjoy what’s on offer.”

Mr Dawson, who won BBC TV’s Celebrity Masterchef show, hosted a cook-off battle between two teams who were trying to create giant trifles.

The stunt was filmed for an episode of the Good Food channel’s new series Monster Munchies.

Mr Dawson was joined by Mr Blunos to judge the competition, and once the trifles were made and measured, visitors put them to the taste test.

Dozens of chefs from the best restaurants in Oxfordshire were showing off their talents and passing on tips to the public over the Bank Holiday weekend.

It is the first time the festival has come to Oxford.

Ms Hera said the event had something for everyone. She added: “It attracts passionate foodies and also people who just want a nice day out.

“We have live music and the event is outside, so a lot of people end up staying for the entire day, just relaxing and enjoying great food and drink.”

For details of today’s festival programme, see foodiesfestival.com/oxford. Tickets are £10 at the gate.