On the eve of Yorkshire Day, Mark Foster takes a look at the things that make the UK’s largest county famous.

WHAT does a Sunday lunch favourite, a traditional cuppa and a pint of beer have in common with James Bond’s boss, a long-dead explorer and Monty Python?

According to a new survey, the answer is a geographical one – they are some of the best things to have come out of Yorkshire, the country’s largest county.

To co-incide with tomorrow’s Yorkshire Day celebrations, more than 4,000 people from the UK and overseas were asked what the county was best known for.

Yorkshire pudding predictably headed the topten list, with nearly half of the votes, followed in quick succession by Yorkshire Tea and Wensleydale cheese – proving perhaps that a lot of people were led by their taste buds.

But when it came to personalities, the survey produced some surprises, with York-born Oscarwinner Dame Judi Dench – who now features as M in the 007 movies – in the lead.

She beat challenges from such renowned worthies as literary heavyweights the Bronte sisters and the great navigator, Captain James Cook. Even she was surprised at that result.

“There must have been some quite stiff competition,” she said. “But the city and county are dear to my heart and it’s a place I will always return to.”

Another surprise in the personality stakes was comedian, writer and professional traveller Michael Palin. One of the founders of Monty Python, he was born in Sheffield in 1943.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange may not have been made in Yorkshire for years – they are now produced in Sweden, Belgium, Poland and Slovakia rather than York – but memories are long and it still made the list.

In ninth place, legendary outlaw Robin Hood could be regarded as controversial, particularly by the people of Nottingham, but the original legends do place him in Yorkshire – in Barnsdale, near Doncaster, to be precise.

And in tenth place– last but certainly not least – came the youngest of the favourite things to come out of Yorkshire, a pint of Black Sheep Ale. The Masham brewery was only established in 1991 – but its inclusion in the list shows its popularity here and abroad, and proves that newcomers were not being overlooked.

The survey was commissioned by tourism agency Visit York. Only 13 per cent of respondents came from Yorkshire, with the rest coming from elsewhere in the UK and overseas.

Thousands due to join the fun

A HOST of events showing off the very best the White Rose county has to offer will take place this weekend, as part of the annual Yorkshire Day celebrations.

Thousands of people are expected to take part in events and activities to mark the occasion on Sunday.

Yorkshire Day was first celebrated in 1975, as a protest against the local government reorganisation of 1974. Since then, it has evolved into a series of events, on a regional and local scale, to promote and celebrate the historic county.

Visitors to York will be invited to don white roses as part of the city’s celebrations, which include a local produce market.

Shops in the city, as well as in market towns throughout North Yorkshire, will display Yorkshire- themed window displays.

A pair of stilt-walkers, dressed as Punch and Judy, pictured left, mixed with shoppers in York, to spread the word about the National Railway Museum’s contribution to the weekend’s events.

The museum is running a series of Thirties seaside-themed events as part of its summer schedule, with face-painting and balloon modelling among the attractions on offer.

Other events include:

● The annual Yorkshire Day straw bale race, at York Maze, throughout tomorrow afternoon;

● A week of offers and tasting at gourmet food store Lewis and Cooper, in Northallerton;

● Events at tourist information centres in market towns across North Yorkshire, including a visit from Wallace and Gromit at centres in Leyburn and Richmond.