ONE of Britain's most talked- about young chefs has been lined up as a star signing for this year's York Festival of Food and Drink.

Controversial Yorkshire restaurateur Anthony Flinn is expected to demonstrate his innovative style when the ten-day annual event comes to the city on September 16.

He will be joined by Andrew Pern from award-winning North Yorkshire gastropub The Star Inn at Harome, and Harvey Nichols head chef Richard Allen, for a series of demonstrations and tastings.

Festival organiser Michael Hjort, secretary of York Hospitality Association, said Mr Flinn caused a sensation when he opened his restaurant Anthony's in Leeds last year. The signings came as the first details of this year's event emerged. It is expected to attract thousands of people to the city with the best of food and drink from Yorkshire and beyond.

This year the historic Guildhall and Mansion House, near Bettys tearooms, will be the festival headquarters and house the food theatre. The covered market, which includes many opportunities to taste and purchase food, will be extended into St Sampson's Square.

Mr Hjort said: "We want to reinforce and extend both the scope and the depth of ways in which the festival is about local and regional food.

"More than 150,000 people visited last year and it's not unreasonable to expect the event to attract even more people in September."

The Festival of Food and Drink will be launched with a champagne reception in the Chapter House of York Minster followed by a gourmet dinner on the evening of Thursday, September 15.

A series of food markets, featuring farmer's goods, regional produce and Women's Institute stalls, will be opened in Parliament Street the following day.

Food shops, butchers, bakers, delicatessens and chocolatiers will also be there, promoting the finest produce from England's biggest and most diverse food region.

The covered market will showcase Yorkshire brands, including the Black Sheep Brewery, Wensleydale Creamery, Harrogate Spa Water and Bettys cakes & Taylor's tea and coffee.

Visitors will be able to sample and buy pork reared in the Vale of York, heritage lamb from a Yorkshire Dales farmers' co-operative and buffalo mozzarella from Yorkshire's own buffalo herd.

There will be cheeses from Wensleydale, Whitby crab and lobster, Brother Rainer's apples from the monastic orchard of Ampleforth Abbey, and Yorkshire clotted cream.

Family entertainment will include roving feasts, meal deals, ale trails and street food, such as paella pans.

Updated: 10:41 Wednesday, April 13, 2005