Need a bit of a boost this Monday morning? How does the promise of some fantastic mac 'n' cheese sound?

If you are a mac 'n' cheese fan who lives in Glasgow then you are possibly already aware of the Pastaval event.

If you haven't heard of it then prepare for your cheesy synapses to be well and truly snapped.

Now in its fourth year, Pastaval is essentially a mac 'n' cheese crawl.

Pastavalers buy tickets in advance  - it usually sells out so tix aren't generally available on the day - and then make their way around participating restaurants and bars sampling their mac 'n' cheese.

Some venues serve up their usual mac 'n' cheese recipe. After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Others devise a special mac 'n' cheese specifically for that year's Pastaval.

Diners vote for their favourite mac 'n' cheese and, once the count is in, the winner is announced at the end of the event.

Foodie Explorers

Pastaval is organised by Mark and Emma, the couple behind the popular Foodie Explorers blog.

Last year's Pastaval took an unexpected twist when Mark and Emma got married as part of the festival.

The event has long been sponsored by pasta specialists McIntosh of Strathmore and their Mr Macaroni mascot played the part of best man.

As you might expect, this led to widespread press coverage with plenty of headlines along the lines of 'Is this the cheesiest marriage ever?'

I'm not sure they will manage to top that this year.

New city centre mac 'n' cheese crawl

However, they have expanded the festival. In previous years, Pastaval did a circuit of Southside venues.

This year they are branching out and running two dates, one in the city centre and one in the Southside:

On Saturday 4th May, Pastaval will run in the city centre for the first time. The venues taking part include Pie and Brew, Van Winkle and Ad Lib.

On Saturday 26th May, Pastaval will run in the Southside where The Butterfly and The Pig South hope to retain their title.

May the best mac 'n' cheese win!