Writer, broadcaster and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Canteen will be feeding thousands of festival-goers at Fairport's Cropredy Convention music festival in August.

River Cottage is making Cropredy the lynchpin of its first year of catering at festivals. As well as selling organic and locally-sourced food throughout the three-day event, the River Cottage team will stage a series of food-themed workshops to pass on their knowledge of the garden, kitchen and hedgerow to young festival goers.

"I am really excited that the River Cottage Canteen is attending this year's Cropredy," says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. "We aim to bring a taste of River Cottage to the festival through our programme of workshops and our delicious menu which we'll be serving up throughout each day

River Cottage only works with partners who share its ethics and ideals and Fairport's Cropredy Convention shares Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's commitment to the environment. In recent years the festival has worked towards greater sustainability, increased recycling and a reduced carbon footprint. "We are big fans of Hugh's books and programmes," says Simon Nicol, Fairport Convention's guitarist and lead singer. "so we're delighted that River Cottage Canteen is coming to Cropredy this year. We hope it will be the first of many visits. I know our audience will welcome River Cottage. I'll be at the front of the Canteen queue myself. Cropredy is not only about the best in music, it's about great food and drink too."

As well as the River Cottage Canteen, Cropredy's audience can choose from 20-odd other caterers serving everything from Goan fish curry and homemade vegetarian fare to burgers and traditional fish and chips. There's Fair Trade coffee, freshly-squeezed lemonade and Cropredy's renowned real ale bar run by Wadworth, the Devizes brewery.
Acclaimed as Britain's friendliest music festival, the event presents three days of music in the open air. Now in its thirtieth year, Fairport's Cropredy Convention is Oxfordshire's longest-established festival and will star Status Quo, Rick Wakeman, top American act Little Feat and Fairport themselves. The festival takes place on 12, 13 and 14 August.