TWO Ryedale pubs are in the running to be the county’s favourite.

The Fairfax Arms in Gilling East and the Plough Inn in Wombleton are among the 18 shortlisted finalists in the Welcome to Yorkshire Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub competition.

Members of the public were invited to vote for their favourite pubs across Yorkshire and rose to the occasion – casting about 8,000 votes.

The nominated pubs – almost 800 – were whittled down to an 18-strong shortlist which includes two former winners - the Carpenters Arms in Felixkirk and Shibden Mill Inn in Halifax.

Voting is now open again so the public can pick their winner – and the pub with the most votes will be revealed at a special presentation at the Great Yorkshire Show on Tuesday, July 10.

Every pub which makes it into the top 30 will be included in the Welcome to Yorkshire Ale Trail publication.

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive at Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “For another year we’ve had a huge response to our competition – record numbers of people have voted and shown their support for Yorkshire’s fantastic pubs. It’s also interesting that the voting has revealed a real renaissance in Yorkshire breweries.

“Good luck to all the finalists. To make it to the final when the public have nominated almost 800 pubs is a huge achievement.”

Vote for your favourite Yorkshire pub at yorkshire.com/pub