It’s bigger, it’s better and it’s coming your way Saturday May 23 and Sunday May 24. This year I’m delighted to say Malton Food Lovers Festival has more patrons, more chefs, more family entertainment, more food and more fun!

As Festival Director I hope you’ll forgive me if I tell you a little of what is going on over this incredible weekend for Yorkshire.

There will be live demos and lessons from the superb TV cooks Valentine Warner and Peter Sidwell as well as Yorkshire Michelin stars James Mackenzie and Andrew Pern. Reggae Reggae Sauce star Levi Roots will be cooking a demo, teaching a lesson and playing live (more of that later).

We’re thrilled to have food legend Prue Leith doing several events. I’m looking forward to Prue’s Kitchen Question Time taking place on the Saturday. With a panel of celebrity chefs and food writers this is a chance for the public to come and ask anything they want. Expect a hilarious and lively 30 minutes!

All demos, talks and Kitchen Question Time can be purchased with the ‘Chef’s Theatre and VIP ticket’ - £5. This ticket gets you into any demos on an individual day, free parking on festival car parks as well as entry into the VIP area.

With only one ticket to choose from hopefully it makes it much more simple than previous years! Don’t miss a superb talk by Waitrose Magazine Editor William Sitwell on 1000 years of food history and William and Valentine Warner will also be cooking a demo, both are included under the £5 ticket.

There’ll be cookery lessons too with Levi, Prue, Valentine and many more all taking place in the Malton Cookery School. With only 12 places on each course book asap to have the chance to learn from the stars!

Tutored tastings this year are made more exciting by the afternoon tea event with Telegraph food writer Diana Henry; this is something not to miss and we’re so honoured she is visiting Malton!

Saucy Musician and food entrepreneur Levi Roots will be playing live with his 12-piece band at the Festival Party and night market, 6pm – 11pm on Saturday night. This is a new part of this year’s festival and I hope will become a real fixture for the weekend.

Naturally the festival bar will be rammed and with the street food stalls serving delicious Yorkshire Street Food and night market stalls too this is the perfect way to party the night away! Good food and great music, what a Saturday night!

Also new this year the action begins for the first time on Friday night from 5pm. The festival bar will open early complete with barrel after barrel of top quality Yorkshire beer, ale and cider. As well as a full opening on Saturday the bar will also be open on the Sunday night.

Personally my favourite night of the festival is Sunday so you will find me in the festival bar on Sunday trying to get through the remaining kegs. I hope you’ll be able to join me and the marvellous folk of Malton who have turned this little festival into THE food fest of the North, cheers!