A NEW book promoting some of the finest local food in the Yorkshire Dales was launched at the weekend.

Deliciously Dales features local producers, chefs and food trails, devised by authors Rebecca Roberts and Sally Scantlebury.

The trails journey through Swaledale, Wensleydale, Ribblesdale, Malhamdale, Wharfe-dale and Nidderdale.

The book was launched at the weekend's Autumn Feast Food and Craft Festival at Skipton auction mart, which attracted almost 60 producers from Yorkshire, Durham and Lancashire and was attended by more than 3,000 people.

One producer featured in the book is Anthony Bradley, whose family have farmed at Merebeck, near Settle, for five generations. They used to milk 100 cows and ran 300 sheep, but quit dairying because of rising costs and falling prices.

Mr Bradley and his brother, Andrew, gained degrees in agriculture and biochemistry before returning home, and setting up a dry stone walling business.

Foot-and-mouth hit the business and, one Friday afternoon when they were fed up with walling, Mr Bradley was offered half a dozen rare breed pigs by a local farmer.

"The farmer said that, if we could keep sheep we could keep pigs," said Mr Bradley, "and I just thought if we couldn't sell them we could at least eat our way out of the problem."

The pork was an instant hit and, 18 months ago, they launched the Blue Pig Company - named after the colour of the pigs, which are Gloucester Old Spot crossed with Saddlebacks.

Today, their eight sows and original two-and-a-half year-old boar produce 150 piglets a year. They are reared to six months, when they weigh 80-90kg, with three a week slaughtered.

Mr Bradley said the 80-hour weeks milking for little return were long gone. "We have gone from being price takers to price makers, but we can give customers something the supermarket can't," he said. "We can give you something different, something special, something bespoke."

The Bradleys sell from the farm, and attend farmers' markets at Skipton, Settle and Ripon. They can be contacted on 01729-822538.

The 72-page book is £7.99 and is available from 01756-748627.