One of Cumbria’s most influential food heroes has been announced as a judges in the North West heat of this year’s Produce Awards.

Peter Gott, of Sillfield Farm Foods and a regular at Barrow Market, will be one of the judges following in the footsteps of Cartmel-based chef Simon Rogan who judged the awards last year.

Organised by delicious magazine, the awards made their debut in 2016 and saw a number of Cumbrian producers receive recognition including Hawkshead Relish and Low Sizergh Barn.

Alison Park, from Low Sizergh Barn, took home the ‘From the Dairy, Primary’ award last year for the business’ raw milk.

She said: “Our family have farmed in the South Lakes for generations. There have been massive changes in the way land is farmed and food is produced.

“The delicious Awards remind us that farmers and growers, day in and day out, look after soil, livestock and land for the long-term good health of us all.”

The awards opened for entry on Monday.

Regional finalists will be entered into the national final in London, to be judged by some of the top names in the food industry.

Winning products and producers star in the October 2017 issue of the magazine.

Editor Karen Barnes said: " delicious magazine has a huge, loyal following of food-loving fans and we wanted to launch awards that build on our heritage as a publication dedicated to great-tasting food.

“We want to celebrate producers and artisans who are committed to quality and heritage.

“We aim to give a voice to the quiet heroes of the food world – the protectors of provenance and shepherds of sustainability.

She added: “We know the North West has a huge number of producers who should be praised and rewarded for the work they do and exposed to a much wider audience.

“We hope that, through our awards, social media activity and winners’ publicity we can help them continue their valuable work and grow their businesses.”