The Foodies Festival is back and it is extremely popular with the public. There is so much to see and enjoy. They have a Chefs meet and Greet, Kitchen Disco, Ready Steady Cook Off, Wellness Village, Chefs Theatre, Cake and Bake Theatre, Drinks Theatre, Hot Chilli Challenge, Kids Cookery, Fire Stage and Live Music Stage.
Independent stalls are selling their wares – cheese, ice cream, refreshments, every kind of food, fashion accessories and so much more – it is all here.
It is certainly worth a day out and you have three to choose from, or you could attend all three days as there is something different happening each day.
It is so hot, 35 degrees, and I am feeling it already.
How the chefs are coping with the relentless heat I do not know. I would like to strap ice packs all over my body to cool down. All are so professional and do their job, showing their creative side and entertaining. I think the Drinks Theatre is going to be extremely popular this weekend – we must all stay hydrated.
Tom Rhodes,Masterchef Champion, is on site Saturday. He is a regular and we all like to see him.
Friday 10 July
Gareth Gates is the headline music act.
It is a few years since I last saw Gareth and wonder what he is doing now? Tonight is my chance.
Here are some facts for you. It was in 2002 when he was runner up on the ITV talent show Pop Idol. Gareth immediately after that signed up with Simon Cowell’s to BMG record label.
By 2008 Gareth boasted over 3.5 million record sales in the UK alone, as well as collecting awards such as, MTV Asia, China & Taiwan’s Best International Male, The Record of the Year 2002: “Unchained Melody”. Smash Hits Awards 2002: best male, best hair, best newcomer, most fanciable male. Smash Hits Awards 2003: best male, best single (“Sunshine”).
In 2009, Gareth started performing in musical theatre, playing the title role in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre, Marius in Les Misérables, Eddie in the musical Loserville, Warner in Legally Blonde in 2012 and Dean in Boogie Nights the Musical in Concert and many more.
He has had huge on screen success since Pop Idol and has appeared on numerous reality TV shows .
He starred as a member of the pop group 5th Story in The Big Reunion as well as competing on Dancing on Ice, Celebrity Driving School, Celebrity Family Fortunes and most recently won Celebrity SAS.
I am sure most of you had no idea that he has done so much!
The heat is beating down on the fields and everyone is HOT. I have a paper fan that I keep wafting but it is no good – I am boiling. I have an electric fan but what is the use, it just sends hot air in my face. If someone had an air conditioning room set up here they would be making so much money. I look around, people are laid on the ground, sat in chairs, eating delicious food, and all look exhausted!
Gareth Gates arrives on stage
Okay I need to get some strength to get through the next hour. I will not let you down. Gareth Gates arrives on stage with four other lads in co-ordinated outfits. I was not expecting this. Has he started his own boy band? They all dance in time, same moves, oh some are raunchy – we are too hot already and this is making us even more so!
Gareth and his friends sing all the hits of various boy bands – and the crowd love it, joining in and dancing. I am getting squashed and the heat of their bodies is making me wonder about leaving. I am sweating! I persevere and it’s a good job I do. Gareth starts to lift his top – what a flat tummy – go on take it off – no, he just teases with flashes of his torso. He shows his muscles. Yes, very impressive. He must work out for hours every day and watch everything he eats with a body like that. He is a fine specimen of a man. At one point he decides to jump off the stage and is walking towards me – I duck down as women behind me try to touch him. Oh blimey I feel light headed and it is not the effect of Gareth but the intense heat! After an hour it ends and I crawl to the car and put the air con on its highest setting!
Saturday 11 July
Tonight it is Boyzlife – Keith Duffy (ex Boyzone) and Brian Mc Fadden (ex Westlife). I know the place will be packed and having seen them perform several times before I can expect a perfect show from them.
But the heat is still here…
Here are some facts. With Boyzone, Keith Duffy had six UK number one singles and 16 out of 17 of Boyzone’s first single releases made the top 5. With five number one albums, Boyzone achieved worldwide sales of over 25 million.
Brian McFadden had 12 UK and Ireland number ones as a member of Westlife, and a record breaking seven top spots in a row. The band also had four number 1 albums and over 30 million record sales in total. Since Westlife, Brian has enjoyed international solo success, including a UK number 1 with ‘Real to Me’.
Sunglasses
The VIP section is full and so is the pit. Brian and Keith come on stage and everyone cheers. They are both wearing sunglasses – oh I like to see their eyes. During the one hour set they do remove their sunglasses. That must be one of the most hard working bands I know – they never seem to stop. In the UK and abroad they are in demand. Why? Well we all love the songs from their previous bands and they know how to entertain a crowd. A lot of women fancy them – well they are two handsome men, easy on the eye.
Brian is in a playful mood. He takes the video camera and starts filming themselves and the audience. He takes a mobile phone from a fan and films them both then hands it back – I bet she is thrilled! The hits keep coming – ‘Flying Without Wings’, ‘Swear It Again’, ‘My Love’, ‘If I Let You Go’, ‘Uptown Girl’ – that’s just a few of the Westlife songs.
Brian takes a fan’s sunhat and puts it on! The Boyzone hits are just as good. ‘No Matter What’, ‘Words’, ‘Picture Of You’, ‘All That I Need’, ‘Love Me For A Reason’, ‘Father And Son’, so many that we all love to sing along with.
They remember Stephen Gately
At one part of the show they say they always like to remember Stephen Gately, who died 17 years ago at the age of 33 on holiday in Mallorca, Spain. An autopsy and subsequent toxicology tests confirmed he died from an undiagnosed heart condition that led to acute pulmonary oedema (a buildup of fluid in the lungs). You can see that they are still extremely sad about his death – we all are.
Brian points at people in the crowd – a little girl is blowing him kisses, he does the same back. Someone hands them two frozen drinks and Brian gets brain freeze!
Keith tells us that he used to live in Knutsford when he was in Coronation Street. He played the charming barman and chef Ciaran McCarthy on the British soap opera. He appeared in 407 episodes of the show during two primary stints: from 2002 to 2005, and again from 2010 to 2011.
They leave the stage but return for encores. I enjoy taking pictures of them and listening to the hits.
Sunday 12 July
Tonight the headliner is B*Witched.
B*Witched are a hugely successful Irish girl group who were originally active between 1998 and 2002. They enjoyed success in the UK, throughout Europe and North America, releasing two albums and eight singles, all of which made the UK Top 20 including four singles which topped the UK charts, securing them a place in the Record Books! The original lineup was twin sisters Edele and Keavy Lynch, Sinéad O’Carroll and Lindsay Armaou. The group sold an astonishing 6 million records worldwide, touring the States with NSync and Britney Spears…. Alas they split in 2002.
And in 2013 they reunited.
The four ladies walk on stage. Children and parents are equally excited to see them. Three are wearing denim but Sinead is not. They all look good – age agrees with them.
Adele seems to be the fire cracker in the group, jumping on the speakers to talk to the audience. The hits include ‘Blame It On The Weatherman’, ‘Jesse Hold On’, ‘Rollercoaster’, ‘Mickey’, ‘Chest La Vie’ – men are enjoying dancing with their children. Which one in the group did they fancy?! Lee ( from boy band 911) married Lindsay in September 2006, but they divorced in 2011.
The boy bands loved these girls! For the few who don’t know – Shane Lynch of Boyzone is the brother of Adele and Keavy.
Food, chefs and music – don’t miss next year’s Foodies Festival!
All too soon it is over. What a great weekend. Make sure you get your tickets for next year. Go for the food, celebrity chefs, music – so much variety and a proper family fun day out in a beautiful park.
Thank you for having me back. ❤️
All photos Deborah Law.
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