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A RYEDALE town is aiming to cook up a real treat when thousands of food lovers descend on it towards the end of May. The annual Food Lovers’ Festival in Malton has become a fixture among visitors and residents – even though it began only three years ago as part of a bid to attract more people to the area and boost the local economy.

Since then, it has grown and grown to the point that this year the aim is to attract up to 90 food and drink stallholders.

Unlike many towns that have seen the passing of smaller shops, a key attraction is that, along with its neighbour, Norton, on the other side of the River Derwent, Malton can still boast a variety of independent butchers, bakers, greengrocers, florists, coffee houses and tea rooms, delis, hairdressers, barbers, newsagents, ironmongers, jewellers, clothes, gift, furniture and ironmongery shops, pharmacies and pubs and restaurants as well as several traditional fish and chip shops and Chinese takeaways among other nationally-branded names found across the country.

The Malton Food Lovers’ Festival has announced four consummate culinary patrons for the event, which is to be is spread over the whole weekend of May 21 and 22.

They are Tom Parker Bowles, aristocrat of food writing and presenter of the Good Food Channel’s Market Kitchen, legendary television chef Brian Turner CBE, Yorkshire’s culinary ambassador, Andrew Pern, of The Star Inn at Harome, and Rosemary Shrager, TV cook and quintessential Cookery Course Grande Dame – the latter three having their roots in Yorkshire.

This year’s event, in Malton’s historic Market Place, will highlight regional specialities and local produce.

And some of the region’s most admired chefs will show the crowds of festival-goers how to turn the best seasonal produce into gourmet regional and international dishes.

Two specially created cookery stages will showcase the talents of Rosemary Shrager as well as three of the region’s Great British Menu competitors – Andrew Pern, Stephanie Moon, chef consultant at Rudding Park Hotel, Harrogate and former Deliciouslyorkshire Champion, and Tim Bilton, chef/patron of The Butchers Arms, Hepworth.

Also demonstrating their talents with food over the two days will be Giorgio Alessio, chef/patron at the Lanterna Ristorante, Scarborough, Richard Walton Allen, executive head chef at Harvey Nichols, Leeds, Elaine Lemm, food writer and author of The Great Book of Yorkshire Pudding, Peter Neville, head chef/director at the Pheasant Hotel, Harome, James Mackenzie, chef/patron at the award-winning, Michelin-starred Pipe and Glass Inn, at South Dalton, Dan Farrall, head chef at the Burythorpe House Hotel, Burythorpe, near Malton, Prett Tejura, chef/owner of the Curry Cuisine Indian pickles and chutneys and Cookery School; Rob Green, chef/owner of Greens Restaurant of Whitby and National Seafood Chef of the Year, Robert Ramsden, food development @Delifresh, Sophie Legard, from the award-winning Malton Relish, Daniel Taylor, the winner of the recent Malton Chef Challenge, The Ramans recent winners of the Hairy Bikers’ Cook Off for the Best British Cooking Family, and professional tutors from the iconic Bettys Cookery School, in Harrogate.

With sponsorship from Country Warmth, the family-owned range cooker specialists in Norton, the popular live-action cookery demonstrations will have a special culinary dimension.

Welcome to Yorkshire, the regional tourism authority, is the principal sponsor of the event.

Chief executive Gary Verity said: “The Malton Food Lovers’ Festival was built on passion and commitment and has grown into an exceptional attraction for visitors to experience Yorkshire’s great culinary traditions and local produce in a beautiful and historic market town setting.”

A Welcome to Yorkshire Taste Trail will allow event visitors to sample and explore some of the great food and drink available with many of the town’s food retailers and eateries as well as non-food businesses such as art galleries and gift shops, having local speciality “tasting dishes” to try.

Following the success of its very first Beer Festival last year, a much-expanded festival is on this year’s menu with tasting tutorials and notes, plus an all-day beer garden and evening food and music.

Special festival menus and offers which are designed to tempt all tastes will be available throughout the weekend.

Festival menus and a Food Lovers’ Taste Trail designed to tempt all tastes, will be available throughout the May weekend.

MALTON: aNCIENT AND MODERN

* Initially settled by the Romans, Malton was founded in AD71 and became a key military location until the collapse of the Roman Empire 350 years later. Malton is now regarded as one of the most traditional towns in Yorkshire with an active livestock market and strong connections to the horse-racing industry.

* Malton (population 5,000) and Norton (population 7,200) lie on opposite sides of the River Derwent in the picturesque district of Ryedale, North Yorkshire. The river is also the historic boundary between North and East Ridings of Yorkshire.

* Author Charles Dickens, a regular visitor to Malton, used several buildings and locations for inspiration in his novella, A Christmas Carol.