A BUMPER celebration of food and wine brought some of the country's most acclaimed chefs to Craven.

The Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey played host to a week-long fine dining event at which chefs from across the north converged on the hotel to showcase their cooking expertise with a selection of themed lunches and dinners.

Adam Smith, head chef at the Devonshire's Burlington Restaurant, welcomed Michelin-starred chefs Andrew Pern, of the Star Inn in Harome, Mark Birchall of L'Enclume in Cartmel and James Mackenzie of the Pipe and Glass near Beverley.

And they worked together to create and deliver menus designed to showcase locally sourced and foraged ingredients.

Other highly acclaimed chefs who produced their best at the event were Tom Bilton from The Spiced Pear at Hepworth, Nigel Haworth from Northcote Manor, Langho, and Lee Bennett from Crafthouse in Leeds.

Chef Adam said he was proud to have worked with so many top chefs at the Devonshire: "The whole week turned out to be fantastic. It was a unique opportunity to get these hugely talented chefs together, all preparing superb food for our guests, very many of whom dine with us regularly.

"There is always a really good camaraderie between chefs and this week was no exception, with everyone working really well together. Every chef gets a buzz from preparing great food and in the end it's all about pleasing everyone who dines with us."

There was an accent throughout the week on seasonal ingredients, with many of them being foraged. There was also a focus on a wide variety of styles of cooking, many of the dishes featuring meat and game from the Bolton Abbey estate.

Adam said: "The menu changed on a daily basis and helped to showcase the talents of each chef. It was great to use so many seasonal ingredients, but all the chefs work seasonally anyway."

A particular highlight was the dishes prepared by chef Mark Birchall of the Michelin-stareed L-Enclume, the number one -ranked resaurantStarred restaurant in Cartmel will deliver a culinary treat during his fresh and exciting seasonally-foraged menu. Guaranteed to be a spectacular food event, with tickets costing just £95. L'enclume is number 1 ranked restaurant in the UK in the Good Food Guide.

Any good menu will feature a complementary selection of wines and the emphasis during the week was on wines chosen by the Devonshire's cellar master Nigel Fairclough.

And on the final evening wine expert Joe Fattorini, a former wine writer and now head of sales for the north of leading wine merchants Bibendum, hosted an event where he demonstrated his passion for wines and passed on his knowledge curious imbibers.

The Devonshire Arms will hold a Food and Wine Week in w either late November or early December next year.