THE bellies of thousands of people in an Essex town were full to bursting after a popular food festival this weekend.

James Hore

THE bellies of thousands of people in an Essex town were full to bursting after a popular food festival this weekend.

The Colchester Food and Drink Festival was held on Saturday and Sunday in Colchester's Lower Castle Park and offered more than 100 stalls including a full continental market with cuisine from France to Turkey.

The event, which ran alongside the Colchester Rose Show, was bigger than previous years and the weekend's good weather helped encourage visitors - with queues stretching outside the park at times.

Among the star attractions of the food festival was international chef Anton Edelmann and the rose show also had BBC's Joe Swift and Ken Crowther on hand to give advice.

Yesterday saw the show play host to the area's veterans and the band from the Parachute Regiment and the Tilbury brass band added to the atmosphere.

Don Quinn, who organised the event, said: “I think it was the most people that we have ever had and the atmosphere has been great - it has been really, really nice down here.

“The veterans have been wonderful, they have been sitting around enjoying a few pints and the ox roast which we put on for them.

“It was a glorious, glorious day. We asked for better weather after two days of rain last year and we certainly got it.”