York Food and Drink Festival 18th to 27th September 2009

This amazing food and drink festival is set to take place once again in York from 18 to 27 September 2009. The year the chosen theme for the event is Crude Food, referring to natural, raw, simple or unadorned food. Tickets for various events throughout the festival are now on sale.

The organisers tell us that the highlights of the York Food and drink festivals are:

1. 10 Days of quality led markets. Yorkshire produce stands, plus visiting wine and other guest stands, include an active smokehouse presentation integrated into the show, and lots of 'Yorkshire ethnic foods' from the Indian sub-continent, to Malaysia, Turkey and Ghana (These are ethnic recipes but using Yorkshire Produce).

2. A diverse daily programme that always includes, an introduction to wine, a comparative food 'taste workshop', a cocktail demonstration and cookery demonstrations. Demonstrators at the Festival include Andrew Pern, (The Star at Harome), James Mackenzie (Pipe and Glass), Stephanie Moon, (Rudding Park), and Michael Hjort (Melton's Restaurant).

3. Local Produce Dinner: these include a Launch event with locally produced Tapas dishes (Friday 18th with Melton' s Too) and Spanish wines presented by Charles Metcalfe. Others include a dinner arranged around produce from the southern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors with Rabbit, Shearling Lamb, Trout, Apples and Watercress all grown within a few miles of the town of Pickering.(Friday 25th)

4. A Dedicated Chocolate Fair on Sunday 20th: will include a range of chocolate stands, tutored tastings, demonstrations and hands-on workshops. The day culminates in a true celebration of chocolate at a Chocolate Dinner in York's Guildhall.

5. A Drinks Programme including a walk around wine fair (Saturday 26th), a Whisky Festival (Saturday 19th) tutored wine and food meals at quality York Restaurants including the Lime House (Portugal Thursday 24th) and Melton's Restaurant, (California Sunday 27th) Other themed tutored tastings include ""Wine and Christianity"", Burgundy, Spain and a Champagne tasting led by Yorkshire Post wine critic Christine Austin.

6. Regional Real Ales: The Festival links up with Daleside Brewery to run the Festival Ale tent situated among the markets. The Ale tent is the starting point for the Festival Ale Trail, taking you around 12 Real ale pubs and the reward - if you needed any other! - of a Daleside T-shirt for those who finish. For the first time York CAMRA are running their Ale Festival to co-inside with the Festival (York Knavesmire 17th to 19th).

7. Fountain Cafe. Alongside the Ale tent, the Fountain Café hosts a Beer Fair (Thursday 24th) On other evenings the Café links up with local charities to run simple two-course dinners. Those involved include, Mare Cure and Macmillan Cancer, Brunswick Organic Nursery (they provide work for adults with special needs) and the Aegis Trust, who provide solar powered cooking equipment for refugee camps in Darfur.

8. Foraging As part of the Crude Food theme, the Festival runs Foraging courses in the city (Wednesday 23rd) and a day trip to the coast. (Coach travel included to the Yorkshire coast, Thursday 24th).

9. Chefs & Producers day on Monday 21st. An opportunity to see local producers and chefs from the region, working together on stage, to produce great dishes. Lunch is included in the day and the producers also have stands around to hall for further sampling etc. Also an opportunity here to vote for the Yorkshire Post's 'Taste of Yorkshire' readers' Award.

10. Taste Workshops with Slow Food North Yorkshire. A daily opportunity to learn more around the great quality of regional produce, try seasonal apples and tomatoes, organic breads and flours, honey and cheese.

For full details about the festival click here.

To buy tickets call the ticket and info line on 01904 466687