ENTERPRISING foodies from around North Yorkshire gathered at an awards ceremony to celebrate the area’s thriving food and drink businesses.

The Flavours of Herriot Awards were held at the Garden Rooms at Tennants of Leyburn on Friday, December 2, when the wining restaurants, pubs, breweries and farm shops were announced from a record number of entries.

The judging panel was headed up by Elaine Lemm, a Yorkshire-born former chef-restauranteur turned national food writer.

The winners included tearoom of the year, The Pantry, in Thirsk, which also won the "readers choice" award, after being picked by readers of the Darlington & Stockton Times.

This year’s ceremony also included a special award to mark the 100th anniversary of James Herriot author Alf Wight, for the Best Yorkshire Pudding Served with a Sunday Roast. It went to the Horseshoe Inn at West Rounton.

The awards were presented by BBC York presenter Elly Fiorentini, following a musical performance by singer and actress Ionica Adriana, who grew up in a Romanian orphanage until the age of two, before being raised in North Yorkshire.

Following the ceremony the finalists were all treated to a dinner of Yorkshire fare.

Those who attended the event also helped raise just over £1,000 for the awards’ chosen charity, Herriot Hospice Homecare.