CHEFS from all walks of life will be cooking up a storm when the York Festival of Food and Drink returns to the city in less than two days.

The annual gastronomic celebration, now in its eighth year, kicks off on Friday, and organisers are expecting more than 150,000 visitors to attend the ten-day menu of demonstrations, dinners and tastings.

The opening day is sponsored by the Evening Press, and amateur cooks and local produce will feature greatly in the programme of events.

The first round of the sixth Inter-School Cookery Challenge takes place in the Festival Food Theatre at 11am, with pupils from Archbishop Holgate, Lowfield and Easingwold battling for a place in the prestigious final on September 19.

Trainee chefs from York College will be running the daily caf at the Food Theatre and their tutor, David Box, will demonstrate how to produce one of the simple lunches which feature on their menu at 1pm.

On Saturday, RAF cooks from No 1 Air Control Centre at RAF Boulmer and RAF Linton-on-Ouse armed with state-of-the-art utensils will operate a fully-working field kitchen in the Coppergate Centre.

They will be demonstrating the skills and techniques used to produce the quality food supplied to RAF personnel when they are operating in basic field conditions. Corporal Andy Winter of the Leeds Armed Forces Careers Office, who has organised the appearance, said: "The aim of thus event is to show the public, and especially young people, the wealth of opportunities that the RAF has to offer and to highlight some of the lesser known careers such as catering."

At 3pm, four upstanding local clerics will take part in More Tea Vicar?, where they will attempt to replicate a dish using regional produce as demonstrated by Bruce Hutton of York Marriott Hotel.

For food fans who prefer not to get their hands dirty, organisers say there are still a limited number of tickets for the Roving Feasts.

The Roves were introduced to the line-up last year and participants enjoy the starter, main course and dessert of a themed meal at different venues around the city for £25.

Yorkshire, Mediterranean, Around the Minster, Seafood, and Hot and Spicy are the options available, taking place on September 12-16 at 7.30pm.

For more festival information, visit www.yorkfestivaloffoodanddrink.com or phone 08706 021113.

Food and Drink Festival listings

Friday September 10

All Day: Food Theatre Launch Day, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

All Day: Festival Fringe: NFU Food and Farming Roadshow, Parliament Street, York City Centre, York.

All Day: Festival Ale Trail. Collect trail card from The Maltings, Tanner Moat, York.

Daily - 7am-11am: Festival Fringe: The Great Yorkshire Breakfast, York Marriott Hotel, Tadcaster Road, York.

Daily. 9am-6pm: Festival Sampling Boulevard, Parliament Street, York City Centre, York.

Daily. 10am-5pm: Festival Fringe: Cookery Exhibition, Visitors Department, York Minster, Deangate, York.

Daily.10am-6pm: Festival Fringe: A Taste for Life, Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York.

Daily. 10.30am-4.30pm: Festival Fringe: Fair Trade Food Fair, Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York. Also Saturday, September 11.11am and 2pm: Exploring Food: Walking Up An Appetite, St Helen's Square, York. Tel: 07981 242764.

Daily. 6pm-8pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Rioja Tasting, St William's College, 5 College Street, York.

7pm-11pm: Festival Dinners: Festival Launch Party, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

7.30pm: Festival Fringe: Brassed Off, York Theatre Royal, St Leonard's Place, York. Daily except Monday and Sundays, also 2.30pm show on Saturday, September 18.

Saturday September 11

All Day: Celebrating Yorkshire, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

10am-4pm: Festival Fringe: Royal Air Force Field Catering Display, Coppergate Square, Coppergate, York.

11am-4:30pm: Festival Fringe: All Sconed Out, The Treasurer's House, Minster Yard, York.

Daily until Thursday. 11am-4:30pm: Festival Fringe: Classic Puds, The Treasurer's House, Minster Yard, York.

Daily until Thursday. 3pm: Festival Fringe: Who Ate All The Pies?, Tap & Spile, Monkgate, York.

7pm-9:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Rioja and Tapas in the Theatre, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.7:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Champagne Tasting with Charles Metcalfe, Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms, St Helen's Square, York.

Sunday September 12

12:30pm-2:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Yorkshire Sunday Lunch with Charles Metcalfe, Melton's Restaurant, 7 Scarcroft Road, York.

1pm-4pm: Festival Fringe: Garden Soiree, York Marriott Hotel, Tadcaster Road, York.

6pm-9.30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Tapas and Sherry in the Caf, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York. Also Monday 6.30pm-9.30pm, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 5pm-9.30pm.

6:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Fiona Beckett on Sherry, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

7:30pm-9:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: An Evening of Wine & Song with Charles Metcalfe, The Guildhall, St Helen's Square, York.

7:30pm-11pm: Roving Feasts: Yorkshire Rove.

Monday September 13.

All Day: Eat Local, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

All Day: Festival Fringe: Brewery Tour, York Brewery, Toft Green, York.

Daily. 9am-6pm: Market Place, Parliament Street, York City Centre, York. Also Tuesday.

7:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Zak Avery on Food and Gourmet Beer, Four, High Petergate, York.

7:30pm-11pm: Roving Feasts: Mediterranean Rove.

Tuesday September 14

All Day: 1st Class Food, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

10am-4pm: Festival Fringe: Nice Nosh, The Salvation Army, Gillygate, York. Also Wednesday.

10.30am-4.30pm: Festival Fringe: Butler's Tour & Tea, The Treasurer's House, Minster Yard, York.

1.45pm-4pm: Festival Fringe: Tour and Tea, York Theatre Royal, St Leonard's Place, York. Daily until Friday.

7:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Whisky Masterclass, Melton's Too, 25 Walmgate, York.

7:30pm: Festival Dinners: Slow Food Dinner, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

7:30pm-11pm: Roving Feasts: A Rove around the Minster.

Wednesday September 15

All Day: Eating Well, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

7:30pm-9:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Wines with the Cheeses of Northern England, Melton's Too, 25 Walmgate, York.

7:30pm-11pm: Roving Feasts: Seafood Rove.

Thursday September 16

All Day: Hands on Food, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

7:15pm: Festival Dinners: Festival Gourmet Dinner 2004, St William's College, 5 College Street, York.

7:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Oddbins Wine Fair and Tasting, The Guildhall, St Helen's Square, York.

7:30pm-9:30pm: Festival Fringe: Historic Inns & Pubs Tour.

7:30pm-11pm: Roving Feasts: Hot and Spicy Rove.

Friday September 17

All Day: International Yorkshire, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

10am-5pm: Festival Fringe: Cookery Exhibition, Visitors Department, York Minster, Deangate, York.

7:30pm-10pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Supper with Port, St William's College, 5 College Street, York.

Saturday 18th September

All Day: Cook It, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

10:30am-12:30pm: Festival Fringe: Choccy & Sweetie Tour.

1pm-3:30pm: Festival Fringe: Festival Soup, Church Hall, St Luke's Church, Burton Stone Lane, York.

1pm-5pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Whisky Festival, The Guildhall, St Helen's Square, York.

2pm: Of Pottages and Boar Heads, Yorkshire Museum & Gardens, Museum Gardens, York.

3pm-3:40pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Oxford Landing: A Seriously Australian Tasting, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

5pm-7:30pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Whisky and Song (tickets sold as part of the Whisky Festival), The Guildhall, St Helen's Square, York.

7:30pm-10pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Wine and Chocolate Tasting, Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms, St Helen's Square, York.

8pm: Festival Dinners: Jazz with Jeremy, YorkBoat, The Boat Yard, York.

Sunday September 19

All Day: Finals and Finale, St Sampson's Square, York City Centre, York.

All Day: Festival Fringe: Brewery Tour, York Brewery, Toft Green, York.

11am-4:30pm: Festival Fringe: Tasty Tastings, The Treasurer's House, Minster Yard, York.

12pm-3pm: Festival Drinks Theatre: Winemaker's Lunch, Dean Court Hotel, Duncombe Place, York.

1pm-3pm: Festival Fringe: Yorkshire Sunday Lunch, York Marriott Hotel, Tadcaster Road, York.

Updated: 10:13 Wednesday, September 08, 2004