A WILTSHIRE farm which provides bed and breakfast has won a top accolade.

Pickwick Lodge Farm in Corsham was the gold winner among Wiltshire bed and breakfast establishments in the Taste of the West awards for 2004.

More than 270 restaurants, pubs and bed and breakfasts in the south west entered the hospitality awards which aim to find the best establishments which serve guests locally produced food and drink.

Pickwick Lodge Farm, along with gold award winners from each category, will be judged in the competition for overall champion for best south west bed and breakfast, tea room, public house and restaurant. The overall champions will be announced on September 9.

Pickwick Lodge Farm uses locally sourced bacon, bread, dairy products and fruit on the breakfast menu.

Owner Gill Stafford said: "We are thrilled to win a gold award and hope that this will help us to develop our business further.

"We think that letting our guests try west country foods is the best form of advertising for local produce there is, and we try to source as much as we can from the region."

There were two bed and breakfast establishments in Wiltshire that won bronze awards. They are The Green Dragon at Market Lavington and Great Ashley Farm, Bradford-on-Avon.

The Harrow at Little Bedwyn near Marlborough and At the Sign of the Angel at Lacock both won bronze awards in the restaurant category.

The George and Dragon at Rowde near Devizes won the silver award in the Wiltshire pubs category and The Vine Tree at Norton near Malmesbury won the bronze award. The Tollgate Inn at Holt, Trowbridge, won the gold award.

A panel of expert judges including food writers, critics, chefs, food lecturers and south west tourism inspectors visited shortlisted establishments unannounced to judge on the use of local produce on the menu. They also judged the speed of service, atmosphere, ambience, food quality, flavour, freshness, presentation, use of seasonal produce and value for money.

George Streatfield, Taste of the West chairman, said: "The hospitality categories of the Taste of the West awards are judged to very high standards and awarded on merit only. Gold awards really are an endorsement of a level of service and a commitment to local food and drink that is second to none.

"Proprietors are increasingly aware of the business sense of serving high quality, locally produced food and drink to holiday makers. By ensuring that visitors to the region have every opportunity to try and buy local produce the south west food and drink industries, as well as tourism will continue to thrive."

The awards are sponsored by South West Food & Drink and supermarket group Budgens.