The Appetite festival is set to launch tomorrow and the participants who will be hosting events have spoken of the growing feelings of excitement and anticipation for the month-long food and drink extravaganza.

The festival will see everything from guided food walks to pop-up restaurants in real homes to dining like the Ancient Romans did –the eclectic mix has people licking their lips in both excitement and in hunger.

The festival launches tomorrow in Walthamstow Town Square where Gennaro Contaldo, the chef who taught Jamie Oliver how to cook, will kick off proceedings.

Laura Kelly, one of the festival organisers, said: “We’ve been delighted by everyone’s response to the festival.

“There are lots of opportunities to treat yourself, celebrate with friends and family, discover local businesses and get involved in community food projects.

“Now it’s all organised I’m really looking forward to going to events myself.”

Silvana Gambini, who is hosting a pop-up cafe in her home in Wingfield Road in Walthamstow Village, said she is quivering with anticipation.

Her event, called Cocomero, which means Watermelon in Italian, will see her making and serving Italian focaccia sandwiches with porchetta – a speciality of the Lazio region of Italy.

The recipe is an adaptation of a Gennaro Contaldo recipe, whose enthusiasm and character she said reminds her of her late father.

She said: “The festival is a fabulous thing for the borough.

“The Art Trail is great so it’s fantastic there’s this substitute.

“Instead of sampling art people can sample different food.”

Another participant, Joanna Moncrieff, a resident of Chingford, who is leading food and drink themed historical walks in the borough, said the festival was a brilliant thing.

She said: “Sometimes in London you don’t know your neighbours but I think this type of thing can only be good.

“It’s about food but it’s also about meeting people and having a good time locally.

She said she’d discovered so many things about the borough she hadn’t known before and that there was lots more to be discovered.

The festival’s full program can be found at http://www.appetitefestival.co.uk/the-program/