SLIDESHOW: Hmm... life's sweet at liquorice festival

Sweets of all shapes and sizes were on offer during the festival, which took place in the town centre last Sunday.

Historian Tom Dixon led special talks at Pontefract Library for visitors, about the history of liquorice.

Coun Les Shaw, who opened the event, said: “I’m so pleased that in its 21st year so many people joined in the celebration of our heritage and had fun.”

The festival celebrates Pontefract’s historic association with the Middle Eastern plant.

It is thought that liquorice may have been brought to the town during the Crusades by a member of the De Lacy family who built Pontefract Castle. Another theory is that it was brought by Benedictine monks in 1090.