An impressive seven venues in Stockport have been shortlisted in the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards .

It is the best ever total for the borough and those chosen will fight it out with other select outlets from across Greater Manchester .

Among the selection is Foodie Friday , a monthly event at Stockport Market, which is in the best food and drink pop-up category.

Others include the Magnet, in Heaton Norris , and the Baker’s Vaults, town centre, in the pub of the year category.

The Oddfellows, in Mellor, has been chosen in the food pub of the year section and Heaton Hops, in Heaton Moor , in the craft ale bar of the year.

Brassica, in Heaton Moor, has been shortlisted in the neighbourhood restaurant of the year category.

And the Indian Tiffin Room, on Chapel Street, Cheadle , is in the casual restaurant section.

Councillor Kate Butler, executive member for the economy, said: “I hope everyone in Stockport will get behind these much deserved nominations and make sure they vote for their favourites.

“I am also delighted to see Foodie Friday included in the shortlist, as I have seen the hard work and passion that goes into making this monthly event such a huge success.

“The food and drink scene across Stockport is great.”

John Barratt from Seven Miles Out , the organisers of Foodie Friday, said: “We are delighted that the event has been recognised by the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards.

"We are proud to have some of the best street food traders in the north west. The Stockport Market team deserve credit for making the event possible every month.”

Thanya Sawaengdee, who runs Foodie Friday Thai favourite Somtam Street, added: “We travel to food events up and down the country but none of them have the unique and special community atmosphere of Foodie Friday.”

The shortlisted venues were announced by the Manchester Food and Drink Festival organisers.

For 2016 there are 17 categories including five new ones to reflect the changing trends in the eating and drinking scene across Greater Manchester.

The awards are now open to a public vote which closes on September 28 at 9am ahead of the festival which runs from the following day until October 10.

Phil Jones, festival director, said: “The city’s vast, high-quality and diverse range of excellent dining venues requires a robust set of awards to recognise the breathtaking developments that have taken place in our city over the last few years.

“With that in mind, we’ve added some new categories to the list. It’s a fantastic time to award eating and drinking establishments here in Manchester.

“It’s all of these wonderful, mouth-watering venues that help to make us the world-class city that we are in 2016 – a big cheers to that!”