Cumberland sausage or haggis for the best breakfast

The row erupted after farmers at former Beatrix Potter properties in Cumbria declared theirs Britain's best.

But farm B&Bs in Scotland responded to the gauntlet thrown down during National Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

Lakeland breakfasts of Cumberland sausage and organic eggs are being pitted against Scottish delicacies such as fried pancakes and haggis.

The mealtime quest to find which region creates the best-tasting breakfast started when a group of Cumbrian farmers set up "Enjoy The Farm" to market breakfasts and accommodation offered at farmhouses, many formerly owned by Beatrix Potter.

The campaign is a partnership between the Cumbria Tourist Board and the National Trust, which looks after the famous writer's picturesque properties in the Lake District.

But the breakfast boast saw a swift response from Scottish farmers, who claimed their "most important meal of the day" was more of a winner with tourists.

Local ingredients

Chris Collier OBE, chief executive of Cumbria Tourist Board, said, "It is essential to the future of the rural economy, not only in Cumbria, but nationwide for farmers to generate an incremental income in the face of significant changes and a sharp decline in their traditional revenue sources.

"Initiatives like 'Enjoy The Farm' will help to give farmers a viable and sustainable future and, particularly for young people, keep them on the farm."

The Cumbria campaign features breakfasts made with local ingredients including Cumberland sausages, dry cured bacon, organic eggs and fried bread made by a specialist bakery in Staveley, near Kendal.

But Scottish Landlady of the Year, Winifred Johnstone, who runs a farm guesthouse at Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, said, "It sounds like they have bitten off more than they can chew.

"The suggestion that the best breakfast is cooked anywhere other than Scotland is nothing but a half-baked idea."

She said she prides herself on her fried pancakes and haggis, which she serves up alongside black pudding and the usual eggs, sausage, bacon and mushrooms.