PERFECT examples of mammoth vegetables and succulent fruits, mouth-watering speciality foods, and thousands of spectacular autumn flowers are the main ingredients for the eighth Autumn Garden and Country Show, set to attract visitors from a wide area to the Three Counties Showground.

Preparations for the annual Michaelmas celebrations of British country life and produce are well under way, and organisers the Three Counties Agricultural Society report a healthy demand for advance tickets.

The event retains its memorable mix of traditional crafts, floral art, countryside creatures and rural activities for 2002, as well as enticing visitors with a whole host of new attractions.

It will be the last chance of the season to see the magnificent Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show, housing everything from acers, dahlias and sweet peas, to heathers, hederas and hostas.

The National Vegetable Society Championships return to the showground's Harvest Pavilion for the first time in five years as gardeners and allotment holders put the very best of the country's home-grown produce on show.

"We have a full programme, and other highlights include a Musical Ride, a display of vintage cars and machinery and the chance to see some rural skills of old, together with 500 tradestands," said spokesman Sharon Gilbert.