THERE are few discerning people in the North who would have even questioned it - but now it's official.

The humble Yorkshire pudding, a staple with Sunday dinner for generations, has been named as the nation's favourite regional food.

The mixture of eggs, flour and milk - or water according to taste - left all its rivals for the honour well and truly battered.

And the closest pretenders to the title, the Cornish pasty and the Melton Mowbray pork pie, were left floundering in its wake.

Yorkshire pudding, which dates back to medieval times, was chosen as the best-loved regional food at the Good Housekeeping food awards.

All entries were nominated by magazine readers and the winners were chosen by a panel of judges, including restaurateur Prue Leith and TV's Aggie MacKenzie.

It was the first time the favourite regional food category had been included in the annual awards.

Good Housekeeping's cookery editor, Emma Marsden, described the Yorkshire pudding as a regional food with a nationwide appeal.

"It is something people have grown up with. They are a favourite Sunday lunch accompaniment to roast beef," she said.

"That's why people love them - and because they are so easy to make."

Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce was the country's favourite store cupboard ingredient.

Perhaps not surprisingly, chocolate was named the sexiest food, with the Green and Blacks brand voted the top indulgent food.

Later this year, the Yorkshire pudding will take centre stage at a charity festival, which will include a cook-off between amateur and professional cooks, talks on the history of the dish and a pudding-eating relay race.

The festival will take place at Thomas's Hotel, York, on Yorkshire Day, August 1. Funds raised will go to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.