THOUSANDS of visitors basked in the sunshine as the 146th Great Yorkshire Show got under way.

The show was particularly successful for a Helmsley-based ice cream company, which scooped three prizes for its produce in the Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show.

The production manager of family firm Ryeburn of Helmsley, David Otterburn, said he had won the same classes last year, but his daughter had now joined the competition, posing a threat to his title.

Supermarket tycoon Sir Ken Morrison presented David with a trophy at the Harrogate Showground yesterday, while visitors sampled a mouth-watering array of dairy products in the food hall.

"It's fantastic to win again," said David. "We've been in business for 14 years and it's nice to keep winning these things. We won the national ice cream championships last year in Blackpool."

A record 617 entrants tickled the judges' taste buds with cheeses such as Wensleydale, Cheddar, Parmesan, Ricotta and Feta and there were classes for ice-cream, yoghurts and speciality products.

Wensleydale Dairy Products of Hawes, Shepherds Purse of Thirsk, St Helen's Farm in Seaton Ross, near Pocklington, and Harbour Bar Ltd or Scarborough, also won prizes.

Children from St Peter's CE Primary School in Harrogate and Roecliffe CE School in Boroughbridge helped judge the cheeses, while BBC TV presenters Harry Gration and Christa Ackroyd judged the celebrity choice class.

Meanwhile, visitors toured the showground feasting on ice creams, local meats and confectionery. Children played on the grass and marvelled at the animals while their parents perused all the stalls and attractions to live music from the bandstand.

More than £150,000 of prize money is on offer at the show and there are many more food and livestock events and displays still to come over the next two days.

Amid the excitement, birthday girl Amy Leith and her mother and father cut a giant cake to celebrate her first birthday with the honorary show director, Christopher Hall, and the manager of the Harrogate hotel, The Yorkshire. The hotel was renamed during last year's show.

Plea for young farmers to be given a chance

A FARMING association has urged North Yorkshire County Council to stop selling off its holdings and let young farmers get a foot in the door.

Reg Haydon, chairman of the Tenant Farmers' Association, speaking at the Great Yorkshire Show, said there was an overwhelming number of enthusiastic young people struggling to break into the industry.

He said county councils, such as North Yorkshire, sold off farms as soon as tenants retired, moved out or died.

"North Yorkshire is a farming county, why would they want to sell them?" said Mr Haydon. "We are extremely unimpressed by the attitude of North Yorkshire County Council, we think it's like selling the family silver to do that."

Mr Haydon also urged the Government to consider a retirement scheme for ageing tenants, that would enable them to move into property away from the farm, freeing up the lease for more young people.

"It's not very easy to get into farming at the moment," he said. "We're all having a difficult time and it's currently very difficult for young people coming in. We know that the best chance for any young person to get into farming is through a tenancy scheme, as the price of land is so expensive that the chances of buying your way in is almost nil."

A county council spokesman said the authority had bought land after the First World War that could be rented out to people who wanted to get a foothold in farming.

But a number of people wanting to take up the offer had dramatically declined over the years.

He said: "Because of this decline of people wanting to become farmers, the county council decided to sell off its portfolio of smallholding land.

"All the money raised from those sales has been ploughed back into developing a range of services which the county council provides for everyone living and working in North Yorkshire, including the education of 80,000 pupils a day, maintaining more than 6,000 miles of road and the extensive care of vulnerable people."

Kathryn makes her mark

FARMER'S wife Kathryn Finkle, of Playwise computer software, is celebrating being the 1,000th rural business to receive support from Yorkshire Forward in the last five years.

Kathryn, who works from home at her farm in Thornton Steward, near Leyburn, was congratulated by Terry Hodkinson, chairman of Yorkshire Forward at the rural development agency's marquee.

She was one of 20 young entrepreneurs from rural areas who received support under the Yorkshire Forward funded Growing Routes programme.

Staff from Yorkshire Forward and Business Link are on hand at the marquee to demonstrate internet broadband as well as offering general advice to businesses.

Show certainly where the art is

VISITORS have been able to snap up pieces of local art.

Up to 140 paintings by members of the Harrogate and Nidderdale Art Club are on display at the art show and are being sold off the wall. Honorary show director Christopher Hall said: "The art show has become an important feature, broadening the appeal of the event as a whole. We are delighted to be working with and supporting our local art club and I'm sure the paintings will attract a good deal of interest."

Top of the crops rewarded for excellence

THE top farmers in the region were receiving awards at the show today.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society's Farming Awards focus on the society's commitment to agricultural excellence with many former winners progressing to receive national recognition.

The winners were:

Over 1,000 acres: 1, C G Bayston & Son, Pollington, near Goole; The Bayston family farm 2,500 acres growing wheat, barley, vining peas, potatoes and sugar beet. They have a farm shop in Goole and a specialist road haulage business with six wagons transporting sugar beet and grain. They also have a cross country riding course covering 16 acres with 40 jumps.

Under 1,000 acres: 1, Derek Ibbotson, Tadcaster;

Derek Ibbotson farms 500 acres at Colton Manor, growing wheat and rape. He also has six 2,000 tonne potato stores providing 12,000 tonnes of refrigerated potato capacity for local growers growing under contract for McCain Foods at Scarborough.

Farmer 35 years and under: 1, Jeremy Holmes, Huddersfield; The Holmes family have farmed Delph House Farm for 39 years; they have 160 dairy cows, mainly Holsteins supplying milk to over 8,000 customers a day. Last year Jeremy Holmes decided to start separating the milk and supply cream to restaurants, cafes, small shops and corner shops. His target now is to expand to bigger single outlets such as larger cafes and hotels.

Conservation: 1, Temple Newsam, Leeds; At Temple Newsam, Home Farm conservation both of land and livestock is at the heart of farm activities. Home Farm is now the largest working rare breeds farm in Europe, with over 400 animals including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry. On demonstration days, traditional crafts such as spinning, butter-making and blacksmithing can be seen in action. Temple Newsam will go forward to the FWAG Silver Lapwing Award.

Cooking up tasty country recipes

A COOKERY competition to celebrate the quality of regional food was launched at the show.

Delicious new Yorkshire recipes were submitted to the judges in the new Great Yorkshire Cookery Competition.

The competition allowed professional and amateur chefs to demonstrate their culinary flair using locally produced ingredients.

Richard Allen, head chef at the Fourth Floor Restaurant, in the Harvey Nichols store in Leeds, launched the contest and was one of the judges.

The winners will demonstrate their recipes at the show's sister event, the Countryside Live Food and Farming Fair, in October.

Results

BEEF CATTLE

Shorthorn.- Bull, born on or after 1 June 2002: 2, G C Turton, Thirsk; 3, G C Turton, Thirsk.

Aberdeen Angus.-Bull, born before 1 January 2003: 1, P A Holliday, Dacre, Harrogate; 3, T A & Johnson, Brandsby; 5, V F Dobson, Holme on Spalding Moor. Bull, born on or after 1 January 2003: 2, G Brooks, Little Smeaton, Northallerton; 5, G Brooks, G Brooks, Little Smeaton, Northallerton. Cow in milk or in calf, born before January 2002: 2, P A Holliday, Dacre, Harrogate. Heifer born in 2002: 1, P A Holliday, Dacre, Harrogate; 5, P A Holliday, Dacre, Harrogate.

Galloway.- Cow, any age: 2, D & M Cormack, Thirsk; 3, D & M Cormack, Thirsk.

Highland.- Bull, any age: 4, R A & W Phillip, Skipton. Cow in calf or in milk, born before 1 January 2000: 4, R A & W Phillip, Skipton.Heifer, born in 2001: 1) J E Mawle, Leyburn.

Dexter.- Bull, over one year old: 1, S Hunt, Sowerby; 3, D E Poulter, Ripon

British Charolais.- Bull, born on or between 1 January 2003 and 1 July 2003: 1, G W Turner, Skelton-on-Ure, Ripon; 4, M V & M E Atkinson, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon. Heifer, in calf or with calf at foot, born in 2001 or 2002: 1, M V & M E Atkinson, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon; 2, M V & M E Atkinson, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon; 3, M V & M E Atkinson, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon. Best Junior Bull from class 69: 1, G W Turner, Skelton-on-Ure, Ripon.

British Limousin.- Bull, born before 1 July 2002: 1, J H & S P Cooper, Dacre, Harrogate; 3, J Weatherill, Millington, York. Bull, born on or between 1 July 2002 and 1 March 2003: 2, A J Mason, Skipton; 3, D & M Cormack, Sutton, Thirsk; 4, W H & P S Orton, Knaresborough. Cow in calf or in milk, born on or before 31 December 2000: 1, J Weatherill, Millington, York; 3, D J & C Thompson, Helmsley. Cow in calf or in milk or Heifer in calf, born in 2001: 2, D & M Cormack, Sutton, Thirsk; 3, J Weatherill, Millington, York; 5, G C Rowson, Sutton-on-the-Forest, York. Heifer born on or between 1 January and 30 June 2002: 1, D & M Cormack, Sutton, Thirsk; 2, J Weatherill, Millington, York.

HIVES AND HONEY

Two one pound jars of dark honey, of any year: 2, H Smith, Driffield. Two one pound jars of ling heather honey: 2, A H Clarke, Harrogate. Two one pound jars of soft set honey: 3, A H Clarke, Harrogate.

CHEESE AND DAIRY

Liquid Milk.- Pasteurised Whole Milk: 3, J G Bellerby, Killinghall, Harrogate. Speciality Milk: 1, Stonegate Farm Dairy, Whixley; 3, St Helen's Farm, Seaton Ross. Best milk from an individual cow: 1, E Dent, Leyburn.

Territorial Cheese.- Wensleydale: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes; 2, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes. Traditional Cylindrical Cheshire: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes; 2, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes. Red Leicester: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes; 4, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes. Double Gloucester: Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes. Best Wensleydale Cheese: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes.

Blue Cheese.- Speciality Blue Vein (Hard): 2, The Swaledale Cheese Company, Richmond. 5, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes.

Cheese with Added Flavour.- Cheese-Smoked: 2, The Swaledale Cheese Company, Richmond; 3, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes. Cheese-Savoury/Spicy: 3, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes; 5, Shepherds Purse Cheeses Ltd, Newsham, Thirsk. Cheese-Sweet/Dessert: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes.

Speciality Products.- Speciality Non-Blue Cheese: 2, Shepherds Purse Cheeses Ltd, Newsham, Thirsk; 4, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes. Speciality Dairy Product-Buffalo's Milk: 2, Shepherds Purse Cheeses Ltd, Newsham, Thirsk; 3, Shepherds Purse Cheeses Ltd, Newsham, Thirsk. Speciality Dairy Product-Channel Island Milk: 1, Shepherds Purse Cheeses Ltd, Newsham, Thirsk.

Yoghurt.- Low Fat Yoghurt-Flavoured: 2, ACC-Milk, Whitby. Whole Milk Yoghurt-Natural: 2, St Helen's Farm, Seaton Ross; 4, Stonegate Farm Dairy, Whixley, York.

Butter.- Butter-Unsalted: 3, Arla Foods, Settle. Butter-Salted: 1, Arla Foods, Settle. Butter-Batch or Hand-Churned: 4, St Helen's Farm, Seaton Ross. Butter-25kg Bulk: 1, Arla Foods, Settle. Best Butter: Arla Foods, Settle.

Chilled Products.- Cream: 1, ACC-Milk, Whitby; 2, Stamfrey Farm Dairy Products, Northallerton. Chilled Dairy Product: 1, ACC-Milk, Whitby. Best Chilled Product: ACC-Milk, Whitby.

Ice Cream.- Low Fat Ice Cream-Plain Vanilla: 1, Harbour Bar Ltd, Scarborough.Ice Cream-Plain Vanilla: 1, Ryeburn of Helmsley, Helmsley; 3, Ryeburn of Helmsley, Helmsley. Ice Cream-Flavoured: 1, Ryeburn of Helmsley, Helmsley; 2, Ryeburn of Helmsley, Helmsley. Best Ice Cream: 1, Ryeburn of Helmsley, Helmsley.

New Dairy Products.- New Dairy Product: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes; 6, ACC-Milk, Whitby. Best New Dairy Product: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes.

Special Classes.- Children's Class: 4, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes.

Supreme Championship.- Supreme Champion Dairy Product: 1, Arla Foods, Settle; 2, Ryeburn of Helmsley, Helmsley.

Best Yorkshire Product: 1, Wensleydale Dairy Products, Hawes.

Updated: 14:44 Wednesday, July 14, 2004