THE producers of an awarding- winning sloe gin have discovered their crop is depicted in a number of artist David Hockney’s famous landscape paintings.

Julia Medforth, owner of Raisthorpe Manor Fine Foods, near Malton, realised that the trees under which she forages for sloes were the subject of a number of paintings by the world-renowned Bradford-born artist.

Julia, said: “We couldn’t believe it when we saw the painting in the Hockney show catalogue and realised those same three trees were the ones that bordered our land, where we regularly gather ingredients for our liqueurs.”

“It’s amazing to feel you’re living and working inside a famous artwork – especially one by one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.”

The original work is now on display alongside Hockney’s other paintings inspired by of the Wolds area of Yorkshire, in an exhibition at London’s Royal Academy of Arts.

The David Hockney, A Bigger Picture exhibition spans a 50-year period of Hockney’s work depicting the landscape around parts of Ryedale and East Yorkshire.

Much of the work in the exhibition, including the paintings of the Raisthorpe estate, were created in the last six years.

The sloe gin produced from fruit gathered in the fields reproduced by Hockney recently won gold at the last year’s Sloe Gin Awards and is one of ten liqueurs which area produced at the estate.

“The recipes had been passed down to me through my family and always went down very well.

“So it seemed a natural progression to try rolling it out as a business venture,” said Julia.