KATE Burton came back to High Bentham, from the three day Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate, with a beaming smile on her face and clutching a feast of awards.

Prize among them for the 17 year-old was the Blythewood Champion Dairy Pair award which went to Ingleview Dempsey Dandy and Newbirks Jazz owned by Robert Butterfield who keeps a Holstein pedigree herd in High Bentham with his wife Elaine.

The event attracted 135,026 visitors, one of the highest figures of the last decade and just shy of the all-time record of 135,111 which was set in 2006. Last year’s figure was 132,131.

Among them was Liz Truss MP who 24 hours later was promoted from her job as Environment Minister to the Justice Department.

She visited the showground’s recently opened £11.5m exhibition hall, which was turned into a virtual food emporium for the three days.

In another first, the Great Yorkshire limited edition tweed jacket, in green and gold, created in partnership with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and Brook Taverner, made its debut on the catwalk.

BBC weatherman and a Yorkshireman, Alex Deakin delighted the crowds and presented one of the main show jumping prizes in the Main Ring.

Many of the county’s leading chefs entertained with spectacular cookery demonstrations, in not just one but two cookery theatres this year – Great Yorkshire Show favourite Rosemary Shrager led the line-up, along with famous faces from Michelin-starred restaurants across Yorkshire.

Dates for the 159th Great Yorkshire Show are Tuesday July 11 to Thursday July 13 2017.