Food businesses and local chefs are invited to apply for the Greater Lincolnshire Menu competition ahead of Lincolnshire Day on October 1.

After the hospitality sector has battled through three lockdowns, council chiefs say the importance of supporting local businesses has never been greater than it is now.

Launched jointly by Lincolnshire County, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire councils, the competition aims to celebrate the exceptional food grown and produced across the whole county.

Each area is looking for the perfect Lincolnshire dish – sweet or savoury – from food producers or professional chefs in their area, for one of the three meals of the day.

North East Lincolnshire is looking for a breakfast dish; North Lincolnshire is looking for a lunch dish, and Lincolnshire County is looking for a dinner dish.

To enter, businesses should send their recipe, why they think it makes the perfect Lincolnshire dish, and a picture of it, to [email protected].

They also need to include their name, contact details and address so they can be entered into the correct category for their area.

The creators of the winning dishes will then be invited to a Lincolnshire Day celebration event at Normanby Hall Country Park on Friday October 1.

Entries will close on Sunday September 12 2021.

Coun Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: "This year, for the first time, we're joining with our neighbours in North and North East Lincolnshire to bring together all of Lincolnshire on Lincolnshire Day.

"From Barton-upon-Humber, right down to Boston, we're encouraging residents and businesses to celebrate all they love about our county on October 1.

"After what has been a particularly difficult year for our local businesses, many of us are keen to support them and buy local wherever we can.

"Lincolnshire could easily be described as the UK's food capital and the Greater Lincolnshire Menu competition will highlight the wide range of excellent, quality food we make right across the county."