VIP England cricket fans attending the final Ashes test match will at least be able to find some consolation on their dinner plate – thanks to a Cumbrian food a and drink company.

While England and Australia go head-to-head in a fairly meaningless fifth test – with Australia retaining the Ashes in the forth test at Old Trafford – VIP guests at The Oval will be tucking onto beef, lamb and pork supplied by a family-owned Udale Speciality Foods.

The company – which has based near Orton in Cumbria and Morecambe – has sent down fresh produce for between 3,000 and 4,000 guests at the South London cricket ground for a test that England will hope to win to restore at least a little pride.

And it is not the first time the company – founded by the great grandfather of current owners Neil and Ian Udale in 1905 – has supplied high profile sporting events.

Beef and lamb soruced across the North of England by Udale Speciality Foods is being served up to VIP guests at Tottenham Hotspurs’ new £1 billion stadium this season, said Neil.

It has also supplied other major celebrity occasions, including milk-fed Lake District lamb to tennis champion Andy Murray's wedding, which was prepared by chef Michel Roux Jr and his father Albert, and a sizeable delivery of Lancashire duck to the 2018 Brit Awards at London's O2 Arena.

Meanwhile, this year's Great Taste Awards saw Udale add two more stars to its collection of more than 50, for its dry-aged ox cheek and dry-aged best end of lamb.