CUMBRIA Day in Westminster drew Members of Parliament to sample the finest produce the county has to offer.

Nine different food and drink producers were showcased at the event, which aimed to champion the quality of what Cumbria has to offer the nation.

Co-organised by Cumbrian MPs, who each invited two business from their constituency, exhibitors included Mint Drinks, Kendal; Dent Brewery; The Byre, Millom; Nestle, Dalston; Shed 1 Gin, Ulverston; Sillfield Farm Foods, Barrow; Cranstons, Penrith; The Toffee Shop, Penrith; and the Coffee Kitchen Bakery, Cockermouth.

Also on show were stands from Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Cumbria Tourism and Cumbria University.

"It was a great day," said Keith George, from Dent Brewery. "There was a really good atmosphere. I spoke to several people who said they would like to see our beers in more London pubs.

"It was great promotion for the whole county. It showcased us to the nation. We have an ethos in production in Cumbria where we source local supplies to make local products."

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, who organised the event with the county's five other MPs, said: "It was great to see Cumbria Day well attended by MPs from around the country where they got to see some of the great businesses we have here in Cumbria.

"There was a lot of enthusiasm and I hope it will help boost the county’s business and tourist trade.

"I want to thank all the businesses who travelled down to Parliament for the day, in particular Mint Drinks and Dent Brewery.

"They were able to show some of what South Lakeland has to offer. Events like this make me particularly proud to represent such a diverse constituency."

Penrith and The Border MP Rory Stewart spoke at the event, championing the county's significance as a producer.

"Everything about this is Cumbrian – Cumbrian livestock, fed on Cumbrian grass, watered with Cumbrian rain, and made by Cumbrians into great Cumbrian food," he said. "For me the future of Cumbria, particularly east Cumbria, is about really embracing our landscape, our soil and our produce.

"What will really make us unique, different to anywhere else in the country, in the next 20 to 30 years is going to be our landscape and food because, frankly, so much of the rest of the world is getting wrecked.

"It’s getting over developed, it’s getting destroyed and we’ve been lucky to keep one of the most beautiful environments in the world."

Cumbria Day was set up in 2013 to give businesses the chance to promote the best of the county and themselves.

Many MPs who attended praised the high standard of Cumbrian business and House of Commons speaker John Bercow made a special guest appearance.