Two properties owned and run by South Lakes family firm English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues have been named as finalists in the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2015.

The Wild Boar, in Windermere, has been shortlisted for Tourism Pub of the Year and the iconic, art deco Midland Hotel, in Morecambe is in the running for the Tourism Event of the Year, for the Vintage by the Sea Festival.

The Wild Boar, which has its own smokehouse and microbrewery, is a popular foodie destination, with its food and accommodation given rave reviews by Jamie Oliver's website. It also offers visitors the opportunity to learn how to smoke food, try out clay pigeon shooting and archery, or take part in whisky tasting evenings. It recently hosted the Festival of Smoke, which celebrates the delights of smoked food, good ale and local produce.

Overlooking Morecambe Bay, The Midland is the venue for Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway’s popular annual Vintage by the Sea Festival, a celebration of British music, fashion, film, art, dance, food and design from the last 80 years.

The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence attracted a total of 345 applications. The awards recognise businesses that incorporate best practice and demonstrate excellent customer service throughout their operations, and also celebrate the best in quality and innovation.

Simon Berry, the Managing Director of family run English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, said, “We are all absolutely delighted that two of our hotels are finalists in the highly respected VisitEngland Awards for excellence.

“The team at English Lakes works really hard to provide a fantastic visitor experience across five very different venues. Our nominations for these awards show that our delivery of quality and excellent customer service is recognised by the tourism industry nationally.”

The results will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony, which will be held on Monday, May 11, at the Sage in Gateshead.