Tuck in and sample the best of Yorkshire fayre

And for most of us, this means, among other things, lots of shopping and plenty of eating and drinking.

So it’s appropriate – and, we’ll admit, no mere coincidence – that this issue of Yorkshire Vision focuses on two related areas of the economy: the retail sector and the food and drink industry.

Yorkshire has a lot to shout about on both these counts.

Last year, Leeds was named one of the UK’s top three retail destinations outside London, beating the likes of Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle.

And, in a demonstration of just how far the region’s retail scene has come, the £350m Trinity Leeds shopping centre was included in the prestigious CoolBrands list, which is drawn up annually by a panel of designers, style experts and prominent figures from the worlds of TV, fashion and music.

It’s an enviable accolade, and one that the impressive new Bradford Broadway shopping centre will be keen to equal.

We also talk to Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis, who explains why his company will be opening a mammoth new 250,000 sq ft flagship store in Leeds next year.

And, at the boutique end of the retail scale, we look at what makes sedate spa town Harrogate such a strong brand, especially for marketing luxury goods.

But it is the food and drink industry that Yorkshire has traditionally been more famous for. Encompassing the Yorkshire Dales, Moors and Wolds, as well as the fertile Vales of York and Mowbray, our region’s broad acres are home to one of the biggest agricultural sectors in the country.

Yorkshire is famous for its sheep, its cattle are held in the highest esteem by chefs, and – save this for your Christmas game of Trivial Pursuit – it has the biggest pig-rearing industry in the UK.

All this and more help to make the region’s food producers among the best you’ll find anywhere in the world.

Bettys, at all its six locations, is a tourist destination in its own right, and sister company Taylors of Harrogate has stormed the hot beverage market over the last 20 years with its iconic Yorkshire Tea.

The county has long been a world leader in the beer industry, and in this issue we speak to Tim Dewey, the (whisper it!) American chief executive of one of its oldest and most admired breweries, Timothy Taylor at Keighley.

Raising a glass to a rather newer industry, we also take a look at some of the county’s vineyards, which by dint of hard work and some canny growing are carving out a fine reputation for themselves nationally – and even internationally.

And, for something a little stronger, we visit some of the county’s gin distillers, who are using ancient know-how and local botanicals to produce brand new tastes for this most current of drinking trends.

Three different kinds of alcohol in a single issue of Yorkshire Vision? Well, it is Christmas – nearly.

Cheers.