THERE will be a different look to future Great Yorkshire Shows as the new £10m exhibition hall takes centre stage providing an impressive new showcase for the country’s finest food and drink.

Hall one will be the venue for a new food emporium – which will feature everything from the benefits of home-grown veg through to inspirational cookery demonstrations.

The building, which opens in June, is a third larger than its predecessor and is the size of three Olympic sized swimming pools. With both the increased size and stylish design, it will be the ideal setting to highlight food excellence and also the link between food and farmers.

The 2016 Great Yorkshire Show runs from Tuesday, July 12 to Thursday, July 14, and takes place at Harrogate; around 130,000 visitors are expected over the three days.

Charles Mills, show director said: “Our new exhibition hall will be transformational for the Great Yorkshire Show, providing a superb setting for our food exhibition in keeping with the excellence of the many stands and businesses featured there. Food production is at the heart of every farmer’s business and so it is entirely appropriate that our new hall is used to highlight food provenance.”

Within the 4,320m square building will be the new Great Yorkshire Cookery Theatre with action packed demonstrations throughout the event, plus there will be dozens of stands selling everything from gin to jam and from popcorn to pies.

A new element is the Journey of Food area where visitors can chat to growers about the benefits of British produce, and then follow the journey as growers chat to chefs as part of their cookery demonstrations.

At the heart of the Hall will be the prestigious Great Yorkshire Cheese and Dairy Show.

Last year saw a total of 788 entries across the classes for butter, yoghurt, liquid milk, ice cream and cheese. For the first time there is a section for organic products – cheese, butter, yoghurt and milk, and a new class for cheese makers for those whose business is less than five years old.

The highlight is always the Supreme Championships awarded for both cheese and dairy products.

In 2015 the product award went to Ryeburn of Helmsley for their raspberry, toffee and meringue ice cream whilst Tom Walker and Sons of Stockton on Tees took the Supreme Cheese Championship with a Rougette Bavarian Red.

Visitors will be able to walk around the displays, chat to exhibitors and judges and there’s the opportunity to take home some prize winning cheese following the Big Cheese Auction on the final afternoon.

For the latest information, go to greatyorkshireshow.co.uk