AS February begins, Christmas and New Year celebrations seem a lifetime ago, but all the same I hope everyone had a ball. In Malton this year there is so much to look forward to.

There are quite a few irons in the fire and new plans about to come to fruition, so watch this space. There is a packed calendar of events and markets for 2017, here are just a few highlights for the first half of the year.

The monthly food market returns in March, as well as the Cajun and Zydeco Festival, which gets more and more popular every year. Nothing like a bit of gumbo and swamp music to get you dancing.

In April, the Tour de Yorkshire will be coming through the centre of Malton. Let’s make sure we are looking our very best for that.

And sticking with the theme of two wheels (mostly), there is also the return of Ryedale Special Families Easter Eggstravaganza, so get ready for Malton to become motorbike town once again.

Beertown - Malton’s Craft Beer Expo - returns in May with an even bigger line-up of the UK’s finest beers. Beertown really is putting Malton on the map as a town that is serious about beer.

The Food Lovers Festival runs on May 27 and 28 and is set to be the biggest event ever held in Malton. We are working on a stellar line-up with some familiar and famous faces to be announced very soon.

New to Malton from June will be Street Food Sundays, a collection of street food traders on the east side of the market place with outside eating and groovy music.

This will run every Sunday in June, July and August and is designed to offer visitors a fab, relaxed, alfresco Sunday lunch every Sunday during the summer months. With a combo of music and sizzling street food the atmosphere is going to be mint.

Also in June is the re-launch of the Saturday market, which will be returning to the east side of the market place with new gazebo stalls and new vigour!

And we have several new openings planned, the first of which I’m thrilled to tell you about is Costello’s Bakery, who are, of course, well known for their incredible pies.

Costello’s are expanding with new production and product development facilities about to open at Navigation Wharf, just below York House.

As well as their Market Place shop, the Navigation Wharf unit will be a new destination for baking fans to learn more about what makes Costello’s famous steak pie so delicious.

In April, York House will open as a new luxury wedding venue with the launch event wedding fair taking place on Sunday, April 9.

York House will feature beautifully designed interiors and a sumptuous and magnificent marquee within the riverside gardens. York House will certainly be the place to get married in Malton and Yorkshire. With 12 big weddings booked for 2017, it’s already quite full.

The food tours are continuing to develop and are becoming increasingly popular with the February and March tours sold-out already.

There are new town signs on the way. Malton will be fully “in bloom” in June and there’s much more besides to look forward to in 2017.

So gird your loins, grab your shopping basket and get ready to enjoy another fab foodie year in Malton, Yorkshire’s Food Capital.