Monkhill Confectionery, a division of Cadbury Trebor Bassett and makers of the famous Pontefract liquorice cakes, will be backing the upcoming fourth Pontefract Liquorice Festival.

Taking place on July 10 and 11, the two-day show celebrates the history of the town, dating back five hundred years as it does to the time when the Crusaders first introduced liquorice to the area.

The festival includes some rather more unusual liquorice combinations – including liquorice-flavoured beer and ice cream – in addition to featuring Japanese pharmaceutical group, Maruzen, which is looking to showcase liquorice-based herbal products for the first time.

A spokesperson for the festival pointed out that whereas in Britain liquorice is associated with sweets and confectionery, in the Far East it is used to treat a wide range of conditions and is considered an aid to digestion.

July 10 is Heritage Day at Pontefract Castle – in the grounds of which liquorice was grown in the past – and July 11 is Liquorice Day, which sees hundreds of varieties devoured by visitors to a backdrop of top-class street performers and musicians.