GONE are the days when spotting a chunk of Edam or brie on your cheeseboard after posh meal might seem exotic.

Cheese is big business and the hunger for all things fromage has ramped up in recent years with new producers and flavours popping up all over the country.

Now fans of the dairy treat can gorge themselves with as much gorgonzola, raclette, halloumi and camembert as they like because a new event is heading to Colchester having already proved hugely popular across the country.

Cheesefest, to quote another famous catchphrase, quote literally does what it says on the tin.

Gazette: A whole host of new flavours await visitors to the one-day event

All that is cheesy converges in one place for the event which has already sold out arenas in Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol and will take over Colchester's Charter Hall this May.

Cheese wheels, gooey mozzarella sticks and hundreds of other examples to sample and buy will be heading to the event.

Organisers promise the best cheese traders from across the UK and products from both Britain and beyond as well as craft beers and wines to help wash it down.

Gazette: One of the dishes available to try

A spokesman for the event said the event had gathered a huge amount of support across the country and was particularly popular in Liverpool, it's most recent destination out of 12 visited so far.

"Our site had about 500,000 views and we had some fantastic feedback. We are really looking forward to coming to Essex," he adds.

This summer will mark the first Cheesefest to be held in Essex by the team.

He explains as well as samples of cheese there are also a host of foods on offer which have the main ingredient of - cheese.

"Artisan cheeses like Raclette, halloumi fries, toasties, pizza and just about everything you can imagine smothered in yellowy goodness," he adds.

Every cheese fan knows it is not just for after dinner - so the event also covers the dairy product's involvement in desserts like cheesecakes and also offers the chance to browse jams and chutneys to accompany them.

The event will soon be headed to Manchester before its date in Essex.

Cheesefest takes place on Saturday, May 12 with tickets on sale shortly.

For more information, email info@cheesefestuk.com or visit click here.