Laura Barton gets a taste of Bristol's newest food extravaganza.

The last weekend of June welcomed the Foodies Festival to Bristol’s Harbourside for the first time – a chance for would-be connoisseurs to give in to temptation and celebrate fine food, drink and expert culinary talent. There was an impressive turnout on the Friday afternoon, and at just £8 a ticket (£10 for a weekend pass), everyone walked away with a full belly and a few new recipes for their home cookbook.

The purpose-built marquees hosted some fantastic hands-on tutored tasting sessions. Wine, liqueur, cheese and chocolate were all on the menu, with masterclasses covering the likes of cocktail mixing and food and wine matching. Michelin-starred chefs cooked live in front of an appreciative audience, talking us through their favourite dishes and sharing top tips in some enjoyable interactive seminars.

Chefs Martin Blunos and Mat Follas were among the star line-up, and charming French chef Richard Bertinet proved very popular, attempting to teach one brave audience volunteer how to need dough. An effortless task for Bertinet, maybe, but the volunteer proved to us just how difficult his technique is to master. Cracking jokes and passing around some potent ingredients along the way, the cheeky French baker then moved on to lamb chowder. Fortunately, we all got to sample the fruits of his labour at the end.

With some as keen as mustard to try new things, and others simply wanting to stock up on all their old favourites, there was a wonderfully friendly atmosphere. Stallholders encouraged passers-by to take free samples – classic cheddar or sticky toffee cheese? A satisfying gin and tonic or a blueberry liqueur? With so many innovative, irresistible bite-sized portions up for grabs, festivalgoers moved from posh pork pies to artisan chocolates in one fell swoop.

Prize for best cheese has to go to the Cheshire Cheese Company (the Baileys & walnut-based spiced honey chocolates were a personal fave). Hendrick’s Gin really went the extra mile with their Victorian chic-inspired design and costumes - and their generous samples went down rather well, too. The whole thing was a great opportunity to try and buy foodstuffs that aren’t usually available to purchase in Bristol.

At lunchtime the Thai, Jamaican, Indian, British and deep south restaurants offered very reasonably priced dishes, and the live music was a nice added touch. With record-breaking weather on the Sunday afternoon, there was no better way to end this top event than with an authentic Italian gelato. Please come back next year!

Copyright Laura Barton 2011