IS THIS Britain's best landlady? Lynn Laughton is in the running to scoop the prestigious title - but the secret of her success is as simple as "being herself".

Lynn runs the Clifton Farm bed and breakfast in peaceful Westow, on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, near Malton.

She is no stranger to winning awards - but this is "the biggest honour yet". Out of more than 4,000 entries across the country, Lynn is now down to a shortlist of 20. The final winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Hampshire in May.

Clifton Farm has already won a red diamond from the AA - putting it in the top ten per cent of the nation's B&Bs. Now, after an undercover visit by an AA inspector, she has been nominated for Landlady of the Year 2006 as well.

The 43-year-old mother-of-one said: "I am just myself, and that's all I can say. I treat people as I would like to be treated myself. Plus, of course, I eat, drink and sleep bed and breakfast. I go to bed at night wondering how I can improve things, and whenever I'm out shopping, I think to myself 'that would look good in the house'."

An AA spokesman said the award, now in its 12th year, was "a celebration of hard work, good humour and dedication to making your stay both pleasant and memorable".

Updated: 10:42 Saturday, March 18, 2006