Wells Food Festival is back this October with a packed line-up celebrating Somerset's best food and drink – and a few unusual extras.

As well as hundreds of local producers setting up stalls across the city on Saturday 12 October, festivalgoers will get the chance to take part in a hands-on competition to turn wooden food trays into something new. The winning design will bag its creator a year's supply of ready meals, with vouchers on offer for runners-up.

The upcycling challenge is being run by local food brand Charlie Bigham's, which has sponsored the festival for five years.

The company uses the trays in its packaging and will be providing tools and materials on the day.

Also new for this year is a photography exhibition telling the story of Dulcote Quarry, where Charlie Bigham's opened its Somerset kitchen in 2017. Once a lime quarry, the site has been turned into a production hub that now employs hundreds of local workers. The exhibition will include historic and modern images showing how the area has changed.

Charlie Bigham, the company's founder, said: "It's great to be a part of this brilliant celebration of the Southwest food scene. With over 300 employees in the Somerset area, we're proud to be a local business and are looking forward to meeting many of the people who enjoy our food."

More details about the full line-up for this year's Wells Food Festival are expected soon. Last year's event featured over 150 stalls, live cookery demos, and a strong showing from Somerset's growing street food scene.