Big-hearted businesses did battle in a hot kitchen to raise £24,000 for a trio of local charities.

Staff from Carlisle-headquartered Baines Wilson LLP and Barclays went head to head in the kitchen at the Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa in the 2019 Kitchen Rivals cook off.

The annual event – which raised funds for Cumbria Community Foundation (CCF), Carlisle Eden Mind, and Keswick Scouts – sees diners donate what they feel the meal is worth before deciding the winner.

A raffle boasting gifts and experiences from M-Sport, CBA Events, Herding Hill Farm, KE Adventure Travel, Sally’s Cottages, The Lake District Wildlife Park, Bainbridge Country Park and Gill Marine and 27 other businesses also helped bring the total raised on the night to £17,670

A further £6,000 of match funding from Barclays, and £6,390 of match funding received by CCF made it a record year for Kitchen Rivals, which has now raised £60,000 over the past three years.

Joanne Holborn from law firm Baines Wilson, which emerged victorious on the night, said: “The real winners were our three charities and we are all thrilled by the total raised.

“We couldn’t have achieved this without the fantastic support of so many businesses, our partners, and of course all the diners that contributed so generously to the event.”

Abi Bailey from Barclays added: “After lots of planning, it’s great to see that this event has been a huge success for another year, providing real benefit to three deserving local charities which support the community in which we live and serve.”

Dani Hope, director of Lodore Falls Hotel and Spa owner, Lake District Hotels, added: “Kitchen Rivals was a huge success.”