A North Yorkshire business will celebrate its ten-year anniversary and the quadrupling of its premises at the Eat Local Banquet.

Jurg Bleiker, the owner of Bleiker's Smokehouse in Pateley Bridge, is to provide one of the courses for the Evening Press - Dean Court Eat Local Banquet, to be held on May 15.

The smokehouse is to donate Thai-roasted salmon for the exclusive event celebrating the very best Yorkshire has to offer. The event comes at an exciting time of expansion for the business. Establishing the company ten years ago, former restaurateur Jurg Bleiker set out to continue his work in food while broadening the tastes of his customers.

The smoking tradition, one he had grown up with in his native Switzerland, seemed the clear choice.

"When I was young my family used to just shove a pig up the chimney," he laughed.

"OK, so maybe it wasn't quite that basic, but it is a form of food preparation I am very used to and comes very naturally to me. It is also very popular, and is growing ever more so."

Jurg and his wife, Jane, recently celebrated ten years with the smokehouse by expanding their premises considerably.

"This banquet, a chance to celebrate our produce and hopefully give some new customers the chance to try our produce, has come at an ideal time, we are very happy to be involved."

Now is the chance for Evening Press readers, who have already made the competition such a success with all their nominations and support, to try out the food for themselves. A limited number of tickets are available for the exclusive event, at £35 per guest. Seats can be reserved by contacting the Dean Court on 01904 625082, faxing on 01904 620305 or emailing sales@deancourt-york.co.uk.

Updated: 09:05 Tuesday, April 29, 2003