Foreword by Gervase Phinn

Harold Macmillan, writing to Lady Swinton thanking her for her hospitality, commented upon the special attractions of our great county.

I think one of the reasons why one loves a holiday in Yorkshire is that in a confused and changing world, the picture in one's mind is not spoilt. If you go to Yorkshire, the hills, the keepers, the farmers, the drivers are the same; and there is a sense of continuity. There is also the country and the neighbourliness that goes with people who live in this remote and beautiful country.

The world at the moment with the credit crunch, the falling pound, unemployment and economic gloom is indeed 'confused and changing,' but, as the former Prime Minister observes there is in Yorkshire 'a sense of continuity' in many things.
The Dales Festival of Food and Drink reflects this sense of continuity. It preserves and celebrates the skills of the people of the Dales which have existed for centuries. Cheese making, dry stone walling, animal husbandry, brewing, traditional crafts and much much more are on show at this splendid event. There is no better way of spending the May Day Bank Holiday weekend than a visit to beautiful Wensleydale for there is something for everyone at this varied and colourful pageant and the hospitality is of the very best.

Gervase Phinn