THERE will be plenty on the menu for food lovers to digest this weekend with more than 80 stalls packed with culinary delights at Kendal Food Festival.

Running across town on Saturday and Sunday, this year's event stars renowned food writer, broadcaster, and The One Show resident food expert, Jay Rayner, who provides an entertaining evening themed My Dining Hell at Kendal's Brewery Art Centre (Sunday, 6.30pm). Meanwhile, the food stalls offer the very best in regional produce from artisan bakeries and patisseries to cheesemongers and specialist meat suppliers.

The weekend also features talks, tastings and masterclass demonstrations from some of the best chefs and bakers in the industry, including Chris O’Callaghan from Linthwaite House Hotel, Peter Sidwell, from ITV’s Britain’s Best Bakery programme and Robert Stacey from the unique apprentice-run Castle Dairy fine dining restaurant. A new feature for 2015 will include Wainwright’s Drink’s Yard enabling guests to take home the very best local tipples from some of the region’s finest micro-breweries, spirit producers and distilleries. The festival will be complemented with live music and street theatre.

For further information and to book tickets visit www.kendalfestivaloffood.co.uk.

AMBLESIDE'S Armitt Museum and Library celebrates World Book Day today (Thursday, March 5), inviting keen readers of all ages to take snaps of the books they love, and email the photographs to info@armitt.com, to go on the Armitt’s website. The pop-up library event runs until Saturday, which culminates with a day of drop-in activities for families inspired by stories in the collection, including Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.

CONISTON Institute will be running a fundraising Brunch Cafe and vintage/antique stall on Saturday (March 7), 10am-2pm, serving local produce in among antiques and vintage items for sale. All proceeds will go to the building refurbishment fund. Also on Saturday at the Institute from 3pm-5pm is a Mini Movie Club for children aged seven and over, where they can write, film and edit a mini movie.

THIS weekend adventurous choral group Allegri give two very varied concerts ranging over five centuries of church music, performing at St Thomas’ Church, Milnthorpe, on Saturday (March 7, 7.30pm) and St George’s Church, Kendal, on Sunday (March 8, 4pm). The main item on the programme is Zoltan Kodaly’s Missa Brevis. The concert begins with motets by Palestrina, Victoria and other composers from 16th Century Europe.

THE second of the Lakeland Sinfonia’s two performances in the 2014-15 season is staged on Saturday (7.30pm), and features Chopin’s 2nd Piano Concerto played by one of the UK's best known pianists Martino Tirimo under the baton of Wyn Davies. The concert at the Westmorland Hall, Kendal Leisure Centre, also includes Rossini's overture L’Italiana in Algeri, Ravel's Pavane pour une infante defunte and Beethoven's Symphony No 4 in B flat. Tickets on 01539-722533.

ULVERSTON Society of Artists is staging its six-week Spring Expo exhibition of members’ work in the Coronation Hall, from next Thursday, March 4, in the Coro’s downstairs anteroom. The hall is usually open between 10am-4.30pm Monday to Saturday, but those visiting the anteroom show are advised to telephone the Coro on 01229-582610 to check it will be open. This summer the society is joining forces with the Bardsea Art Group for its bi-annual exhibition.