A FORMER Malvern restaurateur hopes to be catering for celebrities at this week's Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival in Herefordshire.

Helen l'Anson, who with her husband used to run Pepper and Oz in Abbey Road, is operating the kitchen at Merry-weathers Cafe, a venue specially created for the event.

Set in the town's Masonic Hall, the cafe opened its doors today and will be open until the festival ends on Monday.

Mrs l'Anson said: "Gordon Brown will be there and John Major, with his new book about cricket, so who knows who I'll see in the cafe."

Also appearing at the festival will be Sebastian Faulks, Ian Rankin, Bob Geldof, Clive James and Iain Banks.

Mrs l'Anson hopes she might make contacts in the literary world herself.

She said: "I'm in the process of writing a book. It's autobiographical with recipes."