Malton's locally-renowned foodie Christmas market, complete with fairground rides, mulled wines and even a visit from Santa Claus himself, is returning after two years of absence next weekend.
On Saturday 4 December and Sunday 5 December, Malton's picture-perfect Market Place will be transformed into a Christmas paradise and is set to be one of the biggest markets of the year.
The free-to-enter market will be full of festive treats for all the family to enjoy at Yorkshire's locally-famous capital of all things edible.
Think figgy pudding, juicy goose servings and good ol' turkey dinner: this early Christmas dinner will be worth eating a few weekends before the official 25th date.
Whether you're looking for simple and traditional classics like cheese and biscuits or want to start a new Christmas trend, you're guaranteed to find exactly the food your stomach needs here.
Anyway, there will be so many festive activities to get involved in, you're sure to work up an appetite.
From becoming the brass band's latest groupie to greeting the jolly man in red himself at Santa's Grotto, all ages are catered for.
There will even be a land train for children to ride on around the Market, as well as a host of old-school fairground rides, inspired by traditional Victorian rides but with all the health and safety of a contemporary ride.
Once you're dizzy from hurtling about the fair, grab all your gifts for the 25th and shop whilst supporting small independent businesses based in West Yorkshire.
If that isn't enough to tempt you, mulled wine, gin, a range of beers and plenty of tipples will all be available at different stalls across the market and ready for you to grab a glass whenever you like.
The Christmas Markets in Malton are known as one of the stand-out events of the year at Yorkshire's foodie capital. / Image: Event Owl
After a busy day of visiting Santa, whizzing around the fridesand stocking up on presents, unwind with a glass in hand and watch live music from the local brass band and choirs.
The weekend event will run from 9am on Saturday 4 December until Sunday 5 December at 3pm.
The 2019 event was attended by around 20,000 people but due to Covid-related-restrictions, the Malton Christmas Markets did not go ahead in 2020.
Traders interested in attending the event can still apply to host a stall until Tuesday 2 November via the Event Owl website.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Sophie Smith -
29th October 2021 
