Knowle West. Fizzy drinks. So far, cynics might observe, so predictable.

Except nowadays on this south Bristol estate, consuming a fizzy drink doesn't necessarily involve swigging the contents of a can containing caffeine, artificial colourings, or e-numbers.

The fizzy drinks that will be flowing in Leinster Avenue on Sunday will have been made from wild elderflowers gathered from hedgerows around Knowle West, then turned into cordial and mixed with sparkling water and soda.

The healthy fizzy drinks are part of the Knowle West Food Fest, which will also feature sugar-free sweet making, a pizza making workshop using locally-sourced ingredients, funny-face healthy sandwiches for children, and potato planting sessions.

And, no, the potatoes will not be turned into chips and fried after they have been harvested in a few months' time.

"We're going to bake them in a cob oven at another food festival we're planning for October, and serve them with all sorts of healthy fillings," says Misty Tunks, one of the organisers of the Food Fest.

Two food festivals in almost as many months? Isn't that a bit excessive, even by the standards of the most serious of foodies?

Not in Knowle West, it seems.

Here, enjoyment of healthy food is becoming a pivotal part of community life, following the success of a number of initiatives to encourage local people to enjoy locally-grown food.

"A few years ago, many people on the estate thought organic food was out of their price range and only for the middle classes," recalls Misty, 30, who is environmental project co-ordinator for Knowle West.

"Over the past three years, people have been working really hard to alter that view, and I'm very proud of the way things have changed."

Residents of Knowle West have been encouraged to grow their own food in the large back gardens which characterise the red-brick semi-detached houses. They have also benefited from schemes such as Project Agricola, which sells locally grown produce at affordable prices.

The growing awareness of healthy eating on the estate – which was built in the 1930s to provide social housing for around 12,000 people – becomes apparent as Misty goes through the events that will be taking place at the Food Fest.

In addition to food making workshops, there will be a community swap shop for people to bring homemade and homegrown treats and then take something that someone else had made or grown in return, and there will also be displays of belly dancing and tap dancing by residents.

"Everything is being done by the local people and organisations," she says.

"There's no need to have people coming in from outside to give talks, as there are so many local people who are community champions and are passionate about spreading the word."

One of them is Mil Lusk, a 44-year-old mother-of-two, who lives in Throgmorton Road, Knowle West. She grows seedlings to order to help local residents grow their own vegetables, and will be holding potato planting sessions during the Food Fest.

"It'll be great fun," she enthuses. "There'll be potatoes in paper pots, and potato bags for kids.

"There's something really satisfying about helping people start growing vegetables in their gardens. They can order what they want as seedlings from me, and get an instant garden."

Lesley Belgium, 49, who will be giving a talk – complete with live chickens – about the benefits of free range eggs and chickens, adds: "I'm not one of life's avid gardeners, but I can honestly say it's great fun.

"I take the view that if it grows, great. If it doesn't, then never mind. I also enjoy talking to other local gardeners and sharing tips like using rhubarb juice to keep bugs away."

Lesley, 49, a mother of two, who lives in Hastings Road, adds: "It's a bit like that thing Jamie Oliver did called 'Pass It On'. There are so many people here spreading the word, and in turn other people are passing it on too."

Certainly, there's a sense of change in the air in Knowle West, in Filwood electoral ward – which is in the bottom 10 per cent of the Government's deprivation indices – and which for many years was best known for drug problems.

Now, it seems the vision for life on the estate when it was originally built amid green fields on the southern outskirts of Bristol is in many ways being realised in the 21st century.

Katie Taylor, 25, who has lived in Knowle West all her life and helped to organise the Food Fest, describes the days when some locals went to the estate's Northern Slopes to gather elderflowers to make cordial.

"People were foraging for elderflowers, and there were also wild chives and strawberries. Then everyone had a picnic in the sunshine," she says.

It sounds an idyllic, almost rural experience. And indeed, you are never too far away from an open space in Knowle West, from the neatly-cut verges on Daventry Road to the grassy slopes around Novers Hill.

The results of foraging the wild elderflowers on the Northern Slopes will be ready to be drunk on Sunday at the Knowle West Food Festival.

Katie says: "We've made about five litres of elderflower cordial. We're going to mix it with things like fizzy water and give away free samples, and recipes. We'll also be selling some at the refreshment stand."

There are already plans for another foraging session on the Northern Slopes when autumn arrives.

Katie says: "We'll be going blackberry picking, so we can make blackberry crumbles and jam to sell when we hold the next food event in Knowle in October.

"It should all go well with the baked potatoes and baked apples we're planning to make on the day."

● The Knowle West Food Fest runs from 11am to 3pm at the Knowle West Media Centre in Leinster Avenue. Admission is free. For further details call Misty Tunks or Katie Taylor on 903 0444.