LUDLOW is preparing for what mayor Graeme Kidd hopes will be its "biggest and best" Food and Drink Festival yet.

The 12th in the series, the festival will run in the castle and around the town between September 8 and 10.

From her office at the Buttercross, operations manager Beth Cohen has put together a wide-ranging series of displays and events, featuring small food producers and suppliers from all over the Marches.

Many of the events are longstanding favourites, like the Sausage Trail, the Young Chefs' Contest and the Waiters' Race. There will also be a Slow Food marquee with taste workshops to commemorate Ludlow's new title of HQ for the UK Slow Food movement.

Among other highlights, the Assembly Rooms is putting on a cabaret in Castle Square on the Saturday evening while chef David Willson-Lloyd will cook paella for £1 and talk about simple healthy food. On that evening the castle will stay open an extra three hours until 8pm.

A strong international presence will include food from Normandy and Italy and, taking part in the Waiter's Race, the current winner of the corresponding race from Ghent in Belgium. Two visitors from Viscri in southern Transylvania will talk about how volunteers from Ludlow are helping them build a sustainable community.

Sunday afternoon will see the presentation of several awards. Among them, columnist Brian Viner will give Mel Wright from Bleathwood a prize as winner of the festival's short story competition on a foodie theme.

To save parking headaches, all three days will feature a park and ride service from the edge of the A49. This will be particularly helpful for motorists as King Street and High Street will be closed to traffic from 9am to 9pm on Saturday.

For full details about tickets and events, click on www.foodfestival.co.uk or collect a leaflet from the Visitor Information Centre in Castle Street.