BEST known for its cobbled streets, rolling hillsides and three men in a tin bath, Holmfirth is also home to a growing annual food festival, which takes place this weekend.

An outdoor food market will wind around the town centre streets, featuring stalls from local restaurants, cafés and producers and an open air bar. Added to this will be lively cookery demonstrations in the Festival Kitchen and live music and entertainment, including the Frumptarn Guggen Band, one of only two German parading carnival bands in the UK.

A relative newcomer to Holmfirth, The Hepworth restaurant opened last October as a country chic retreat, offering contemporary British dishes using only local producers and suppliers. Shortlisted for a Deliciouslyorkshire Award for their commitment to local produce, The Hepworth will be taking part in the festival for the first time, exhibiting in the Towngate area serving mini fish and chips to thousands of foodie fans.

Located in the Holmfirth countryside, Coddy’s Farm is a family run business, well-known for its Aberdeen Angus beef, free-range chicken, pork and lamb. As well as exhibiting at the festival, Andrew Colwill is taking part in the Festival Kitchen, demonstrating recipes using their award-winning produce.

Huddersfield’s ProperMaid are well-known for their “cakes with a twist”, specialising in unusual combinations which go down a treat in farm shops, delis and cafés across Yorkshire.

Owner and entrepreneur Allison Whitmarsh has won a number of awards for her creations, including a gold star for this Liquorice Cake at the recent Great Taste Awards. Other unusual flavours include Dandelion and Burdock and Courgette and Lime. Allison will be demonstrating how to make a Sticky Ginger and Fudge Cake at the festival.

The Hepworth’s Pan Seared haunch of Venison, butternut squash puree, caramelised pear, watercress and fennel shavings, warm blackberry dressing

4 x 7oz haunch steaks, 2 pears, 1 butternut squash, 1 bunch watercress, 1 bulb of fennel, 250g blackberries, pinch of cinnamon, splash of Chambord, black pepper, sea salt, splash blackberry vinegar, olive oil /pumice oil

Remove skin and seeds from butternut squash, roughly dice, place in a roasting tray and put in the oven for about 20 min or until soft, place the squash in a food processor and blend until smooth, add cinnamon and seasoning.

Peel the pears, cut into quarters and remove core, dice into small chunks, place in the oven until slightly soft, approx five minutes

Shave the fennel on a mandolin to make very thin slivers, this can also be done using a knife

Place half the blackberries in a small saucepan with a splash of Chambord and a splash of blackberry vinegar or raspberry. Cook the blackberries down until liquid, using a hand blender, blend until smooth, strain with a fine strainer. Roughly chop rest of blackberry’s and add to the puree.

Seal the venison steaks off in a hot pan with a touch of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and fry for 2 minutes on each side, if you like your meat less pink continue to cook for your desired time.

Place a spoon of squash puree on the plate and with the back of the spoon pull the puree to form a teardrop shape. Cut the venison into three pieces and place on the squash, place the fennel shavings between each piece of venison and arrange the pear around the plate. Put dressing in lines around the plate, add the watercress on top of the venison

Coddy’s Farm pork steaks with mozzarella, spinach and bacon.

4 x 125g pork steaks, 125g diced mozzarella cheese, 250g cooked spinach leaves, 1chopped tomato, salt and pepper, 370g bacon

Mix together the mozzarella, spinach and tomatoes and season well.

Lay out the bacon and place the pork steak on top. Add the cheese, spinach and tomato mixture along the centre of the steak, then fold into a parcel and secure with skewers.

Cook in a hot frying pan with a little oil for 20 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

Serve with green beans and new potatoes.

ProperMaid Liquorice Cake

200g self-raising flour, 185g castor sugar, 100g vegetable margarine or butter, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, 100g water, 75g Pontefract cakes, 100g milk, 2 medium eggs

Filling: 100g icing sugar, 50g vegetable margarine or butter, ½ tsp vanilla paste, 25g chopped liquorice

Topping: 100g black fondant, sweet fennel seeds and Pontefract cakes, seedless blackcurrant jam to glaze

Mix together the flour, margarine, sugar and bicarbonate of soda until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

Over a gentle heat, melt the Pontefract cakes with the water. Gradually mix the liquorice mixture into the breadcrumbs until a smooth batter consistency is achieved.

Add the eggs and beat well. Pour mixture into two 7in greased and lined cake tins. Bake gas 4/180C for approx 35 min.

Mix together all the filling ingredients (apart from the chopped liquorice) until light and fluffy. Spread over the bottom half of the cake when cool. Spread the chopped liquorice on top of the cream and top with the remaining half of the sponge.

Roll out the black fondant so it covers the top of the cakes.

Melt the blackcurrant jam. Spread a small amount on top of the cake and lay the black fondant on top. Brush with the remaining jam and decorate with Pontefract cakes and sweet sugared fennel

* Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival begins on Saturday, with most stalls open from 10.30am until 5.30pm, and some open until 7pm. Free car parking is available at Dunsley Heating (HD9 3TW) with a free mini-bus service running into Holmfirth between 9.30am and 6pm. For more information visit www.holmfirthfoodand drinkfestival.com