MORE than 800 bed-and-breakfast establishments in Cumbria have been invited to take part in the first-ever Great Cumbrian Breakfast Competition, designed to demonstrate that the county is home to Britain's most delicious and memorable mornings.

Egging the B&Bs on are Carrs Flour Mills, sponsors of the challenge, and Rural Regeneration Cumbria which is spearheading this spring's Cumbria and the Lake District Food and Drink Festival (May 1-9).

The winning B&Bs will be announced at the festival's gala night at the North Lakes Gateway hotel, Penrith, on May 3, when leading food and drink producers from throughout the county will be put under the awards' spotlight.

Meanwhile, B&B owners hoping to be served up with the "Best Breakfast in Cumbria" accolade are now preparing to submit their menus for assessment in the first heat of the contest.

In order to be shortlisted, they will have to convince the judges that their breakfasts are not just mouth-wateringly tempting, but also make the best use of local food sources.

Almost all the ingredients of a world-beating breakfast are available from within the county, say the organisers - from bread flour to farm eggs, fresh milk, locally-cured bacon and prize-winning preserves.

Those that make it through to the final round of the competition will be visited by the panel of expert judges who will apply the decisive taste test.

The three winners will receive a range of prizes from Carrs Flour Mills, including cash awards, professional automated breadmakers, and supplies of Carrs' famous Breadmaker Flour with the winner receiving the Best Breakfast title when the awards are announced in May.

According to Caroline Dale, Carrs' marketing manager, Cumbria's B&Bs are among the county's most popular accommodation providers.

Now, she says, it's time that the covers were lifted off their equally winning ways in the kitchen - and to prove that Cumbria's breakfasts have all the ingredients of world-class cuisine.