Beadlam Grange Farm Shop and Tearoom is shortlisted in the Local Food category of the Countryside All- iance Awards for Yorkshire.

Owners Mark and Jenny Rooke have farmed 300 acres of mixed/arable land at Bead- lam Grange, near Helmsley, since 1962 and their children, Helen and Peter, want to continue the farming tradition.

But with Peter, who is studying agriculture at Bishop Burton College, keen to enter the farm business, Mark and Jenny decided they needed to diversify if it was to remain viable and give him a future in the industry.

Last year they converted redundant farm buildings into a farm shop and tearoom and now sell their home-reared meat and local produce direct to the public. They also source fresh food from neighbouring farms.

They are among 10 York- shire businesses vying for three regional titles in the Countryside Alliance Awards and the chance of national acclaim.

Their listing in the Local Food category says: “The quality of the food available in the farm shop and that available in the cafe/tea room is of the highest standard. Prices and service are also excellent, friendly and very clean as well as the premises being warm throughout the year.”

The other finalists in the category are Ainsty Farms Shop, at Green Hammerton, and Burtons, of Wilberfoss, near York.

The awards are aimed at celebrating the characters, skills, traditions and enterprise of the countryside through the people who work hard to make it tick.

The Alliance’s Yorkshire regional director Richard Dodd, who chairs the York- shire judging panel, said: “We have some cracking finalists in this line up and I am very confident we can go on to take some national titles.”

Regional winners will be announced in early 2009 with overall UK and Northern Ireland winners revealed at a House of Lords reception on March 18.