Businesses across the East of England are among the regional finalists of the 2016 Countryside Alliance Awards – an annual celebration of rural produce, skills, enterprise and heritage.

The awards known as the Rural Oscars, now in their twelfth year, received a record 7,500 nominations from the public across five categories.

The 2016 East of England finalists include:

Local Food & Drink

• Ben's Restaurant, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

• Maisebrooke Farm, Beccles, Suffolk

Village Shop / Post Office

• Perry Stores, Perry, Cambridgeshire

• The Udder Room and Post Office, Barrow, Suffolk

Tourism Enterprise

• Dairy Barns, Hickling Bed and Breakfast, Hickling, Norfolk

• Dents of Hilgay, Hilgay, Norfolk

• Long Melford Heritage Centre, Long Melford, Suffolk

Farm Enterprise

• Corkers Crisps, Pymoor, Cambridgeshire

• Abbey Farm, Flitcham, Norfolk

• Green Pastures Farm Shop and Garden Centre, Bergh Apton, Norfolk

• Forelock and Load, Barrow, Suffolk

Butcher

• Lavenham Butchers, Lavenham, Suffolk

• DJ Barnard Meats, Shropham, Norfolk

Countryside Alliance Awards director Jill Grieve said: 'This has been a record year for nominations, showing how much the public values and supports our hard-working rural businessmen and women. For these finalists to get this far is already an exceptional achievement and I look forward to meeting them as judging gets underway. The Rural Oscars were set up to champion those who go the extra mile for their communities and it is an honour to offer a voice to rural business in this way.'

Regional winners will be announced in February and will advance to the national finals in March.