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Pontefract Liquorice Festival Food and Drink Trail

Monday, June 16, 2025

Pontefract Liquorice Festival is back on Sunday 13 July 2025. Get ready for sweet-themed fun celebrating Pontefract’s historic link with liquorice.

“Pontefract Liquorice Festival is a great day out for all the family to enjoy, as we celebrate our town’s unique association with liquorice.

“As well as the wide variety of entertainment and colourful market stalls, you can also visit many of our local, independent businesses. Some will be selling treats with a liquorice twist, which I’ll be looking forward to trying myself.”

Cllr Hannah Appleyard

Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport

Cllr Hannah Appleyard

Pontefract Liquorice Festival is a firm family favourite with something for everyone to enjoy including the return of the famous food and drink market.

Venues across Pontefract will be offering delicious liquorice-themed items to delight taste buds throughout the festival weekend. It’s a chance to discover some of the independent bars, restaurants and cafes across Pontefract.

Here’s a list of participating venues and some of the delectable sweet-themed goodies on offer:

  • Alleyc’zam Cafe & Bar – Liquorice cakes, tea and cocktails
  • Cromwells – Steak and liquorice ale pie with liquorice stout gravy, liquorice fruit scone with homemade liquorice jam and fresh cream with a liquorice drizzle and chocolate and liquorice loaf cake with a dark chocolate and liquorice ganache
  • Cryer & Stott Cheesemongers – Try the Pomfret Monk, a Yorkshire cheddar cheese infused with Pontefract’s famous liquorice
  • House of Ales – Pontefract Liquorice stout, Pontefract Liquorice gin and Pontefract Liquorice and blackberry rum
  • Iron Dram – Pomfret Bootlegger cocktail made from O’Donnell Wild Berry Moonshine and Pernod topped with a Pontefract cake
  • Jollys – Liquorice scones
  • Kaylas Kandy – Liquorice milkshake made with their very own Pontefract Cakes.
  • Lush Bakery & Co Cafe – Liquorice muffins
  • Myxology – Liquorice martini, Liquorice All Sort and raspberry lace cocktails as well as blackcurrant liquorice brownies, candyfloss cupcakes and Liquorice All Sort cookies
  • Salter Row Coffee Lounge – Liquorice scones and cake
  • The Counting House – The Counting House cocktai
  • The Hideaway – Liquorice cheesecake and cocktails. Free liquorice sweets for kids with every meal purchased
  • The Old Grocers – Liquorice stout (collaboration with Chin Chin Brewery)
  • The Printers Draft – Liquorice cocktails (plus free sweets!)

Wakefield Council’s Pontefract Liquorice Festival is sponsored by Haribo and runs in partnership with the Pontefract Civic Society who are also hosting ‘Liquorice Shoots’ on Saturday 12 July - a community warm-up event for the main festival featuring entertainment, artisan stalls and family activities.

Find out more about Pontefract Liquorice Festival at expwake.co/PLF

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