FOODIES are being promised a mouth-watering treat at this year’s York Food and Drink Festival.

Tickets are now available for the annual celebration, which will take place from September 21 to 30 in the city centre.

This year, the festival organisers have invested in a new, interactive website, which will allow visitors access to a range of innovative ticketed events. However, access to demonstrations and the festival’s markets on Parliament Street and Shambles is free.

Festival director, Michael Hjort, said: “We’re delighted to offer a rather different programme for 2018, including the new Food Factory attraction, a hands-on cookery experience for families, and a range of Taste workshops, specialist ‘taste and learn’ sessions.”

The jam-packed events programme also includes wine tastings from South African specialist David Geary, an exploration of the private cellar of York Connoisseur, Gareth Morgan, and the return of festival favourites, wine experts Christine Austin and Karen Hardwick, and the Festival Wine Fair.

This year, the event boasts a range of new venues and partners from across the city, including Love Cheese, Bedern Hall, Love to Eat, Bistro Guy, Pinder & Scott, The Chopping Block, Spark: York, The Star Inn the City and York Cocoa Works.

For those who want to explore the city, there will also be a guided Wild Food Walk and festival trails, including the Taste Trail, where you can nibble your way around town tasting samples from a variety of food outlets, the Little Vikings recipe trail for children and the Gin, Fizz and Ale trails for adults only.

In addition to the main markets, the Food Hub, on St Sampson’s Square, will provide an outlet for smaller producers during both weekends of the festival’s run.

Tickets are expected to sell out fast.

For booking and further information about all the events on offer see www.yorkfoodfestival.com/programme