NORTH Yorkshire entrepreneur Elizabeth Guy is hoping big things will come from her little pies and puds.

The Wensleydale businesswoman is all set to launch her youngsters' food venture at the Great Yorkshire Show this month.

She has spent the past few months nervously preparing for the all-important debut at the Harrogate showground and, if feedback so far is anything to go by, Mrs Guy will have a hit on her hands.

She is presenting a range of freshly-made children's meals named Betty Guy's Little Pies and Susie Guy's Little Puds. All will be available to order on the internet, with overnight delivery.

Now working from purpose-built premises near her home in Hawes, Mrs Guy ran the Humble Pie in Askrigg for five years, but this closed last year.

After taking stock, she decided to capitalise on the ready meals part of that business.

"These had been very popular and there is a market for good quality food made with local ingredients," she said. "I didn't want a huge range and so I went for children's foods."

The mother of three has made good use of two of her young daughters in marketing and testing the food.

Six-year-old Betty is the figurehead for the pies and sibling Susie, who is eight, lends her name to the puds, a line-up of three sponges.

The pies range includes chicken and broccoli, using Nidderdale poultry roasted in butter; Sunny Bean Pie, which has roasted peppers with a topping of sweet potatoes and Cheddar cheese; and Squeaky Lamb Pie, so named because cabbage is mixed into the mash topping to create a kind of bubble and squeak.

"To get feedback, everyone I know has had to eat some of the pies and the response has been fantastic," said Mrs Guy. "I am careful with ingredients - using local produce when possible - and there are no additives."

Backed by her family, she aims to do 80,000 meals in the first year, but eventually to lift that figure to about 2,000 a week.

She has personally developed the strict recipes, on which two local girls will start work next month.

"This is a nail-biting time as it is my first major venture," said Mrs Guy. "We decided to launch at the Great Yorkshire Show as a celebration of being a Yorkshire company."

The carefully-thought-out packaging, which features her daughters, is very much aimed at parents. "I want to get them to go for wholesome food, rather than just treats for their children," she said.

Mrs Guy is one of a number of Yorkshire concerns exhibiting at the show, which starts on July 12.

The Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber is promoting local fare at the event, with 40 members taking the Deliciouslyorkshire brand name to present favourites and new ideas.

RFGYH executive director Karen Carlyle said: "We want visitors to the show to realise that food production in this area is top quality."

Other exhibitors include Lewis and Cooper from North-allerton and Shepherds Purse Cheeses from Thirsk.