FOOD lovers and makers swarmed the grounds of Blenheim Palace for a popular annual food festival.

Thousands of people from Oxfordshire and further afield came out to try a wide range of tasty delights over the sunny bank holiday weekend.

The Blenheim Palace Food Festival, which boasts more than 120 stalls and offers tastes from across the globe – including Japan, Tibet and the Mediterranean – marked its third year with yet another success.

Despite armed police being on patrol following last week's terrorist attack in Manchester, this did nothing to dampen spirits.

Jonathan Lee works for caterer Med Kitchen, which offers slow roasted lamb and chicken on flatbreads with a range of salads and homemade sauces. The company's stall has appeared at the festival since its first outing.

He said: “It’s a really great little festival. The grounds of Blenheim are absolutely stunning – you couldn’t ask for a nicer location.

“We’re always blessed with good weather. It’s been nice each time we’ve been here. There must be something in the air at this time of year.”

Visitors to the festival came from far and wide. Sister and brother Rebecca and Daniel Unsworth travelled all the way from Manchester.

The pair have been planning to go to Blenheim Palace for a long time and saw the event as the ideal opportunity.

Ms Unsworth, 27, said: “It was really good. We went around the gardens and all that and had a really nice day, and the weather was good.

“We tried some Dal at the Tibetan bit which was really nice and then had some Japanese food as well.

“We both tried to go for some of the more unusual stuff. It was really good, and we had a look around Woodstock as well.”

A number of famous faces from the worlds of food and broadcasting could be seen throughout the event. There were a number of demonstrations, including some by chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, with wine pairing by Richard Leonard of Love Wine.

There was also live music, storytelling, garden games and face painting for children throughout the weekend.