It’s time to celebrate the best businesses in the countryside.

Dorset is home to some of the UK’s most mouth-watering food and drink, not to mention some wonderful rural employers who are really making a difference to the local countryside economy.

And now’s the time to shout it from the rooftops by nominating your favourites for this year’s Rural Business Awards.

The awards, in partnership with the CLA and Amazon, are split into 13 categories and are the only UK-wide programme dedicated to showcasing the success of rural businesses – a sector which employs in excess of 3.4 million people in over 600,000 businesses.

The organisers of these prestigious awards are seeking some of the hidden superstars among Dorset’s food and drink producers and brands. They’re keen to hear from, and of, any countryside-based businesses that deserve recognition for their excellence, from farm shops, food producers or growers to restaurants, bars, brewers and distillers - indeed, anyone involved in the food and drink industry that should be getting a well-earned pat on the back.

The awards organisers are also very keen to hear about those rural firms who are really making a difference by providing the much-needed employment – which is the key to keeping the Great British Countryside beautiful for us all to enjoy. If you know of, or if you are yourself, a rural business which takes pride in its workforce, is providing local opportunities for local folk, training and developing our future business owners either through the success of the business or by innovative training schemes, or whatever it might be, then we urge you to enter this business in our Rural Employer of the Year award.

The brainchild of Jemma Clifford and Anna Price - themselves both successful rural businesswomen - the Rural Business Awards are a deliberate counterpoint to the many city-based business awards that they felt often neglected successful countryside entrepreneurs.

Jemma said: “We know they’re out there - those little gems hidden away in the beautiful English countryside, cooking up a storm every day and well known to the locals, but not appreciated further afield. We aim to put that right and help these businesses grow by recognising their hard work and bringing them to a wider market. We are really excited to hear from the cream of Dorset’s food and drink organisations. As for Rural Employer of the Year category, this too is a vital element of our awards and we’re as keen as mustard to hear about all those fabulous businesses that are toiling away to create job opportunities to keep our Great British countryside alive and our rural communities thriving.”

You can enter or nominate your favourite in the Best Rural Food and Drink business by simply logging on to www.ruralbusinessawards.co.uk/enter/