EIGHT North-East food producers - all members of Northumbria Larder - scooped a fistful of honours at the 2003 International Great Taste Awards in London.

The competition attracted a record 3,700 entries, including entries from Europe and North America, but the eight won nearly 20 gold, silver and bronze awards between them.

Lesley Armstrong, who runs Cottage Rooms Cuisine from her home at Carrsgate East, near Bardon Mill in Northumberland, won one of only 15 championship gold awards for her home-made vanilla fudge.

Two more local producers also took gold. Jenkins and Hustwit Farmhouse Fruit Cakes of Bishop Auckland took a gold for their Christmas cake and bronze for a gluten-free Christmas pudding. Broom Mill Farm of West Auckland, received gold for their smoked bacon.

Other Northumbria Larder winners were Artisan Foods of Blaydon, which won eight awards for its luxury ice cream. Coquet Valley Preserves took bronze for their Rothbury Ragger Relish; Wheelbirks Dairy Produce gained a bronze for their chocolate and coconut ice cream; North Country Lass took a bronze for their duck and pork pie, and Piperfield of Lowick won silver and bronze for their sausages.

Sandy Duncan, head of business development for Northumbria Larder, was delighted with the successes.

"Our members have done the North-East proud," she said. "We were the last region in the country to get its own official food group but we are now showing the world our speciality food producers are a force to be reckoned with."

The Guild of Fine Food Retailers, which organises the annual event at Olympia, said: "It is quite an accolade for North-East food producers to win so many awards against this sort of competition."

The awards attracted the highest number of entries in its their ten-year history.

* British Food Fortnight starts on Monday and Lewis & Cooper of Northallerton is planning a feast of samplings and special offers.

The renowned High Street store boasts more than 3,500 British regional food and drink lines, ranging from Welsh Lavabread and Scottish smoked fish to a host of local Yorkshire produce from York ham and hand made plum puddings to Yorkshire Moors honey on the comb.

The store will also feature tasty dishes such as Yorkshire Rarebit, made with mature English Cheddar and Black Sheep Ale, and Masham sausages with mashed potato and red wine and onion gravy.