HAVE you ever been on a food tour? Do you fancy spending a few hours tasting real artisan treats, chatting with producers and learning how top food and drink is made?

Just before the food festival last month I spent a wonderful three hours enjoying a fact-finding Cambridge food tour and I am excited to say that something similar is coming to Malton. But what is a food tour? What can locals and visitors alike expect when they venture forth?

Launching on Saturday, August 13, the new Made In Malton Food Tour is all about getting behind the scenes of Malton's ever increasing group of new food businesses. It’s about tasting your way around town on a private guided tour of the very best of Malton. From fresh bread, coffee tasting and making your own butter, to beer glugging, patisserie treats, fresh ravioli, gelato and more.

And these are just a few highlights from the Made In Malton Food Tour. As glorious as it is to nibble your way around "Yorkshire’s food capital" there’s more to it as well.

It is about meeting the artisan producers who make these award-winning food products, learning about what it takes to perfectly roast coffee, churn the best butter and make perfect ravioli.

It is also about giving the town a bookable event to bring in more visitors - as we have always known, customers are the key to sustainable success.

As well as food there will be a touch of Malton history to put things in context and, being a walking tour, visitors can feel relaxed about indulging as they will walk off the calories on the way.

Personally, I always feel better on days when I eat lots and exercise lots. The new Made In Malton Food Tour should be perfect for that.

For a long time I have hoped to introduce a ticketed tourist attraction to Malton’s offer and very soon we will have one. Interestingly in Cambridge, my guide Camilla (a charming local food writer) explained that it was mainly locals who booked on the tour, so I also hope that for Malton and Norton this will be true.

Camilla explained that it is often about locals getting to know their town better and unearthing those hidden away places and getting to see behind the scenes.

As food tourism grows across the country I hope both locals and visitors will be inspired to come and try this new addition to Malton’s food scene.

This will be perfect as a gift, perfect for any age group and we will cater for all types of dietary requirement too. Welcome to the Made In Malton Food Tour – tasting your way around "Yorkshire’s food capital".

If you produce, sell or market food in Malton and would like to be involved in the forthcoming tours please get in contact with David McDonald at The Talbot Hotel.

And I almost forgot – the Malton Monthly Food Market is back on Saturday with live music and some great demonstrations from leading local chefs, including Ben Turner, of The Fairfax Arms, at Gilling East, and Amanda's Kitchen from Beverley.