THE oven mitts are off and Barnoldswick residents are busy preparing for a Valentine's Day event full of culinary delights.

February Feast: Love food, Love Barnoldswick will showcase local restaurants and food outlets and Saturday's event in Barnoldswick town square is the new home for the inaugural World Meat Pie Championships.

David Whipp, co-chairman of Town Centre Action Group, said to celebrate the town winning the 2014 Great British High Street award the action group wanted to host an event celebrating all things culinary, so they came up with the idea of the February Feast which includes hosting the first-ever World Meat Pie Championship.

"We did an enormous amount of research and discovered there was no World Meat Pie Championship and we thought it's time to put that right," said Mr Whipp.

The competition is for both professional bakers and amateurs and a series of trophies will be up for grabs in several meat and vegetarian categories, including cheese and onion, chicken, freestyle, ham, meat, potato, steak and vegetarian pies.

"There's a lot of interest and it's caused quite a stir," said Mr Whipp, who has had a go at baking pies himself in preparation for the day.

A marquee will be put in Barnoldswick's town square and the day will include a breakfast reception with the mayor of Pendle and include stalls such as one where people can make musical instrument out of vegetables.

"It'll be a good attraction at an otherwise quiet time of year," added Mr Whipp.