Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink

Welcome to one of Britain’s best farming regions, a rich livestock farming area with more breeds of sheep than you care to imagine! The Yorkshire Dales is proud of its local produce and one of the finest showcases of food & drink produced in the region is the annual Dales Festival of Food and Drink in early May centred around Wensleydale’s market town Leyburn.

From beer tents to indoor and outdoor food stalls, cookery demonstrations, farming talks and more – this top annual food extravaganza in the Dales is not to be missed. Look out for the ‘deliciouslyorkshire’ sticker or banner in restaurants, inns and across market stalls, farm shops and specialist food shops, and be assured this means made, produced and reared in Yorkshire!

The cheese making tradition in the Yorkshire Dales is thought to date from the 11th Century arrival of Cistercian monks from France who shared their cheese making knowledge with local farmers! The tradition continues today, and essential visiting is the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes with on-site cheese shop and visitor centre. Visit the market stalls of lesser known cheese company gems like the award-winning Swaledale Cheese Company at the Dales Festival of Food and other farmers’ markets and food events in the region.

The finest award-winning real ales are produced by a selection of independent breweries in and around the Dales from Skipton’s Copper Dragon Brewery to the Wensleydale Brewery near Leyburn. Sample Yorkshire Dales ales brewed locally, together with hearty home-cooked and locally sourced food in the wide choice of traditional inns across the region. Bustling market towns like Grassington, Hawes, Settle, Sedbergh, Reeth, Leyburn and Skipton are real dining centres, positively brimming with bistro restaurants, chic cafes, charming tearooms and award-winning real ale inns.

Fine fish in the Yorkshire Dales is on the menu at Kilnsey Park just north of Skipton, home to two spring fed lakes rich in Brown, Golden, Blue and Rainbow Trout with on-site café, farm shop, restaurant and plenty of activities for kids. Enjoy fine dining in luxury country house hotels and 5 Star gourmet inns open to residents and non-residents. Organic and locally produced – Taste the Yorkshire Dales for yourself and book online now.