Christmas is almost upon us but have no fear though, for we have a plan to make your Christmas shopping easy.

Come to Malton to fill your home with beautiful gifts and everything you need to make your Christmas table heave with the joys of the festive season.

First of all, this is a time for the most sublime festive food; roast goose with all the trimmings, figgy pudding and mulled wine.

Cheese is always a firm favourite; Mrs Bell’s Blue is a splendid choice or perhaps a Harrogate Blue is top of your list.

If you are looking for a tasty tipple Brass Castle Brewery has just released Christmas Kitty, a timely take on their hugely popular Bad Kitty, the multi award-winning vanilla porter from the craft brewing kings of Malton.

Over in Talbot Yard Florian Poirot has a fantastic range of macarons and delightful chocolate Christmas decorations plus his absolutely incredible advent calendar.

While you are in Talbot Yard you can bag some Rare Bird gin, Roost coffee, a tasty treat from Food 2 Remember, bread and baked goods from Bluebird Bakery and don’t forget to pick up one of Malton’s special seasonal pleasures, a take home tub of Groovy Moo’s mince pie gelato.

Across town you can find one of Sophie Legards’s award-winning Christmas puddings and as always, Derek Fox butcher and game dealer will be offering their “Yorkshire Pot” - a bird inside a bird inside a bird.

But don’t let it just be about food - for Malton has really branched out in the last year with many new gift and homewares shops opening up.

On The Shambles newcomer Gail & Temple has a host of beautiful handmade gifts, as well as some fab jewellery, and just opposite is Rickshaw Bazaar for your ethical gift giving.

As always Kemps and Plum are sure-fire destinations for a quality selection of unusual gifts and stocking fillers and, of course, if you are looking to spruce up your home then there’s a huge range of unique items for the home with Interiors at Nine to Eleven, Ashley Cooke’s Interiors & Homewares, Chalk Interiors, Bowley & Jackson and Hare & Wilde.

Visit Malton has a special gift for you too, providing two hours free parking in more than 200 car parking spaces in the town centre – seven days a week throughout December.

Apart from the big day itself of course, the unmissable event on the horizon is the big two-day Christmas Food and Gift Market on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8.

This is the Christmas version of our popular monthly food market but with non-food gifts as well. With 100 stalls expected, you’ll find fab food, festive gift stalls, street food, live music, choirs and entertainment, including Victorian themed fairground rides for the children. At Malton Cookery School, Debbie and Gilly will be hosting special Christmas themed courses and demos.

On Saturday The Penny Players (a Victorian/Dickensian street theatre group) will be performing at various intervals during the market and in The Assembly Rooms and Magical Quests North are putting on a brilliant interactive Christmas show for children including a special visitor at the end of the show bringing a gift for every child.

The Christmas Market is set in and around the Milton Rooms and located in Malton’s central Market Place where once again you will be able to take a trip on the fabulous Funtime Express roadtrain.

So come and enjoy Malton this Christmas. It’s tasty, trendy and traditional too and we can’t wait to give you a big festive welcome.

Malton Christmas Market is free to enter and trades from 9am to 3pm on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8. For more information, go to visitmalton.com