AN extra effort is being made during this year's York Food Festival to highlight independent York retailers and Yorkshire food producers.

Festival organisers are running one of the event's prime stands themselves to showcase businesses that are unable to attend the festival, which starts on Friday.

Festival Director Michael Hjort said: “For a number of years we have shown samples from Yorkshire producers that can’t attend the Festival at the information point.

"Now we have taken the opportunity to broaden this activity to become a separate sampling stand at the festival.”

The stand, at the end of Parliament Street facing St Sampson’s square, will feature produce from York café’s and delicatessens including The York Beer and Wine Shop, Love to Eat, Field & Fawcett, Goji Café & Deli, The Hairy Fig, Tarts & Titbits, Le Langhe and Demijohn as well as produce from Newgate market including Cross of York and The Olive Shop.

The festival is buying produce from local shops for the public to sample, which organisers say is a reflection of their determination to showcase York at its best.

The businesses have been invited to attend the stand as guests during the festival so the public can meet them in person and learn more about them.

The sampling stand complements the returning butchers pie stand that sells meat and pork pies from across York, sourced from Swains in Newgate Market, Ged Bell, the York Pie Co and Richardson’s of Woodthopre.

Mr Hjort added: “Whether you follow our ale trail to sample locally brewed ale, buy some great pies, or sample the produce from York delicatessens you can be certain that local food businesses are centre stage at this year’s event."