PICKING up a packet of Higginsons of Grange sausages, presenting the champion upland sheep trophy and sampling Kendal Mint Cake Vodka were all in a day’s work for Prince Charles when he paid his first visit to Westmorland County Show.

His Royal Highness arrived by helicopter and spent about three-and-a-half hours at the show.

Guided around the showfield at Crooklands, near Kendal, by Westmorland County Agricultural Society chief executive Christine Knipe and show president John Geldard, the Prince spent time in the food hall, sampling Howgill Fellside ice cream from Sedbergh, buying a packet of Westmorland sausages from Stuart Higginson and his daughter, Lisa, chatting to Lisa Smith of Kendal’s Ginger Bakers about her recovery from 2015’s floods and trying the smoked venison from HMP Haverigg Smokery.

In April 2015, the royal visited Westmorland County Agricultural Society to learn about its educational activities and meet officials and volunteers. Chief executive of Westmorland County Agricultural Society, Christine Knipe, told the North West Evening Mail: 'During this visit, we invited His Royal Highness to return one day, so the fact that he will be with us again to experience the Show fills the Society with great pride."

This year's event had 19 cattle breed sections and 29 sheep breed sections as well as pigs, goats, poultry, horses, alpacas, hounds, terriers and gundogs.

In the cattle marquee the Prince met one of the show's longest-standing exhibitors, the Robinson family of Strickley Farm, Old Hutton. Henry Robinson, son James and grandson Robert showed off their prize-winning dairy shorthorn cattle.The Robinson family have had a presence at the show for 142 consecutive years.

He also paid a visit to a stall run by the Prince's Countryside Fund, which he established in 2010, and stopped by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust to see a variety of threatened livestock.