Lady Lansdowne entertained crowds of thousands at the Bowood Dog Show and Summer Fair yesterday as she stepped up to the plate in a cookery challenge.

The Kids in the Kitchen challenge saw Lady Lansdowne, along with a team of young competition winners, take on Tom Parker-Bowles in attempting to recreate a number of recipes demonstrated by Devizes chef Peter Vaughan.

Mr Parker-Bowles' intended rival food writer and TV presenter Matthew Fort was unable to attend the show due to filming commitments.

A spokesman for Bowood said: "The Kids in the Kitchen challenge went really well.

"Unfortunately Matthew Fort was unable to attend but Lady Lansdowne stepped in."

Around 7,000 people spent the day at Bowood, taking part in dog training classes and workshops, and raising thousands of pounds for charities.

The show's latest feature, the Canine Corner, proved popular as dog-lovers shopped for their pets at various stalls and watched professional displays.

The Bowood spokesman said: "The day was generally very busy and it was a big success.

"The weather might have put some people off but we had a crowd of about 7,000 in the end and there were dogs everywhere.

"The show has really established itself as it has grown from about 1,500 in the first year to this big profile event."