Malton Food Lovers Festival

Malton is the nearest decent-sized town but one we rarely visit except to use the train station... and for the last few years its been making a name for itself as a 'foodie' town, thanks in part to the patronage of local lad James Martin (he of Saturday Kitchen fame) but mostly to the efforts of local Malton folk making a massive year-round effort to promote the place as a food-lover's destination. The annual Malton Food Lovers Festival took place this weekend, and we went along for the first time (for shame!)

It was great! Despite the drizzly weather we had a really good time. Jasper was in heaven with the amount of dropped food he was finding on the pavement. We spent a small fortune on lots of artisanal products – beef, salami, chorizo, ham, cheeses, oils, macaroons – and I think that's what we're having for tea tonight :-)

What I really loved about it is what I hope I've captured here – just how happy and proud the food producers are to sell you their wares. They all seem to genuinely love what they make, they want to tell you all about it, and you can just tell they're passionate about their work. It's really encouraging and inspiring to see so many people who love and are proud of what they do – and a bonus for me as I love to eat and drink what they make, so everyone's happy :-D