A new mum made a triumphant return to the show ring after being crowned the supreme champion dairy cow at the Royal Norfolk Show.

A five-year-old Holstein cow named Katie, from the Wigboro herd in St Osyth, Essex, won the top interbreed title after giving birth to her fourth calf in May.

Owner John Smith said she had appeared at the Suffolk Show a month ago, but needed some extra time to regain her full show potential.

And after three show-free years due to the Covid pandemic, he said he was particularly thrilled to win the prestigious Norfolk award.

"We've been to Suffolk but we've done much better here and we've got the supreme - so we're really pleased," he said.

"We showed this cow when she was a baby calf and that was the last time she was shown because of Covid. That was three years ago and now she has come back and won the Royal Norfolk. So it is quite a big deal.

"We didn't win at Suffolk, but she had only just calved and needed a little more time to settle in after having her baby. But here I thought she was looking good. We're really proud of her.

Mr Smith said his champion was a well-balanced and productive dairy cow, adding: "She has a lovely temperament too.

"She will follow me and run to the milking parlour when she is ready to be milked."

And he said the whole livestock community had welcomed the return of the show season after two years of Covid cancellations.

"For us, there are not many dairies in East Anglia, so it is nice to come to the show to see our fellow dairy people," he said. "It is a bit of a social event."