HUNDREDS of foodies will be flocking to town for the annual Great Malvern Food Festival later this month.

The festival, now in its third year, will have 28 stalls offering a wide range of local produce plus free cooking demonstrations featuring recipes as varied as contemporary vegetarian and ancient Egyptian.

The former come courtesy of Lizzy Hughes, who runs vegetarian cookery classes in Malvern, while Marina Ibrahim from Shropshire specialises in traditional Egyptian recipes passed down through her family.

Wandering among the food stalls will be Alan Smith, playing Parisian accordion music and Mark Russell entertaining the crowds with his juggling and stilt-walking.

Malcolm Salisbury, Malvern Hills District Council economic development officer, said: “The Festival will offer a good opportunity for people to find, sample and shop for local products with flavours and ideas that are unique to the region.

"Large supermarkets are probably here to stay, but our own growers, producers, manufacturers, retailers and markets all play a crucial role in sustaining a varied and healthy local economy and all benefit directly from local support."

The Great Malvern Food Festival is on Saturday, May 25, from 10am to 5.30pm.

For more information, go online to visitthemalverns.org.