York Food and Drink Festival is back with a full programme
The ten day event is back for the first time since 2019.
York Food and Drink Festival is back with a full programme for the first time in two years.
A smaller scale event was held in 2020 over three days, but was limited by Covid restrictions at the time.
The programme this year is running from today (17th) to the 26th September, and will include a food factory, produce market and taste trail.
Michael Hjort is the Director of York Food and Drink Festival: "I'm understandably a little bit nervous as we didn't run a full festival last year. There clearly are some problems to overcome, but we're scheduled for a full ten days for the first time in two years.
"We have to be optimistic - the weather looks good. In some respects we have an expanded timetable, so we're confident.
"I'm hoping that people who haven't been for a couple of years will come along, especially as there are virtually no restrictions now.
"We have some new things this year; The Theatre Royal are running their own events, and there is a gin and rum festival at the York Minster - which is a first for the Minster and a first for us.
"Our programme itself has a bigger and better taste trail than ever before, and people can have a very full day out going through all the different locations.
"They can do hands on cookery when they get to the hubs, such as making chocolate lollipops, pasta, bread and biscuits. It's designed for a family audience, but I've very much known just adult parties getting their hands dirty as well!
"There'll be music in the evenings, plus produce stands. Everything from tea tasting to a junior chef competition and on the hour activity all the way through.
"There's a lot there for whatever day you turn up. We are a festival designed to promote York as a food destination, and in a produce sense Yorkshire as a source of great produce.
"It's great to be back doing the festival. I was astonished when we first put a post on Facebook saying the festival was definitely on; the post went absolutely crazy with tens of thousands of hits. We were blown away by the enthusiasm".
More details on the York Food Festival can be found here.