On Sunday 10 October, from 10.30am – 4.30pm, Wells Food Festival will return to its rightful place: in the medieval heart of England's smallest city.

With the support of the festival headline sponsor, Charlie Bigham's, this year's free, family-friendly event is set to be a jam-packed celebration of Somerset's rich and diverse producers.

"After a really challenging 18 months for our artisan producers we are determined to make this festival our best yet," says Jon Abbott, festival director. "We were obviously proud to be able to support them with a virtual event in 2020, but there's nothing quite like the real thing for the full experience, meeting and talking with the people behind our finest food and drink."

More than 150 producers and street food sellers will be in the Artisan Market, showcasing the extensive range of fine food and produce that comes from the region. Stalls will stretch from the Market Place, along the Moat and into the Recreation Ground and the Bishop's Barn.

There are several producers from Radstock and the surrounding area. Yonder will be attending with their craft beers and lagers, inspired by a passion for three things: foraging, flavour and fermentation. Stuart Winstone, Co-Founder of Yonder explains: "We are Wells' closest brewery and our tap room has been thriving since we opened it in April 2021. People from the surrounding towns and villages have been joining us for brewery-fresh beers on the Mendip Hills all through the summer and now we get the chance to bring the beers to them with our bar in the market-square area of the festival.

"We think our innovative beers will pair well with the other produce on offer. A pint of our locally brewed lager or bitter with a burger, or perhaps our heavily fruited beers or sweet chocolatey stouts alongside a cake or dessert. We can't wait to chat with, and serve, the foodie folk of Wells and beyond."

The innovative Funky Cool Bananas will also be at the festival, serving up their unique hand rolled ice cream. A liquid ice cream base is 'cooked' on two large ice pans, spread out and rolled into neat rolls and finished with a variety of toppings. Owner Kevin Wiltshire says: "It's great to be back after a year's enforced break. We are really looking forward to being there and have some funky new flavours with which to tempt visitors."

Four legged visitors won't be forgotten either. Radstock's specialist dog bakery, Four Legged Fancies, will be attending the festival again with all sorts of natural, handmade goodies including dog birthday cakes and pupcakes.

In addition to the Artisan Market, there are some new feature areas to explore, starting with a celebration of English wines in the Recreation Ground. Local vineyards will be represented alongside those from further afield.

Ben Franks, of Novel Wines in Bath, will be sharing his passion for English wine with three exclusive tasting sessions during the day. The themes are: Bacchus wine from different regions; a wine and canapé pairing; English fizz.

The tasting sessions are £12 each (£15 for the wine & canapé) and can be booked at wellsfoodfestival.co.uk

Meanwhile, there is lots to entertain younger visitors starting with an interactive Gingerbread Man Trail. Pick up a map at the entrance with clues hidden in each of the main areas. A prize awaits all correctly completed sheets.

Simon Gray and his team from Fun Kitchen, an award-winning pop-up cookery school, will be providing four cookery sessions throughout the day for children aged 3+. With a focus on seasonal food, and full of informative fun, children will have the chance to get stuck in and create their own Apple Scone Bread Twist. The cookery sessions are free to join in but numbers are limited so head over to the Fun Kitchen marquee in the Recreation Ground early on the day and book a place.