BEST-dressed potatoes, wrestlers in white leggings and lovingly preened cows - the flagship Cumberland Show returned to give a celebration of all that's best in the countryside.

From the clang of metal gates, the wholesome tang of manure to the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling and the red-jacketed huntsman with his baying hounds , the show returned on Saturday with the promise of a fun-filled day out after a break of two years due to the pandemic.

Thousands of visitors poured through the gates to the The Showfield at Warwick-on-Eden later hailing the new site a 'huge success'.

"It's so lovely to see all the crowds and the farming community back together again at our country show," said operations and development secretary, Gillian Potts.

While over in the livestock rings, farmers fought for those coveted winners' rosettes, others waited in the Homes Industries to see who had won the best embroidered handkerchief, the best walking stick with buffalo head, or the best mini-landscape with logs ingenuously crafted from a chocolate bar.

Visitors lined the main ring eager to glimpse the skill of the Pony Club Games and later to watch proud farmers presented with their silverware in the Grand Parade.

"Great new location and organisation first-class," said Carlisle MP, John Stevenson. "It's been a bumpy road, but good to see the crowds back enjoying the day."