Independent businesses across Buckinghamshire have been named best in the county in the annual Muddy Stilettos Awards.
Readers of the women's lifestyle blog Muddy Stilettos were given the chance to vote for their favourite businesses across the Bucks and Oxfordshire regions in categories from Best Bookshop and Cafe to Best Lifestyle Store.
Staff at winning independent businesses in Buckinghamshire said they are 'so proud' to be recognised for their efforts by loyal customers.
Among the winners were Chapter Two bookshop in Chesham, which was named Best Bookshop in the region, and Spa Illuminata at Danesfield House in Marlow, which was named Best Day Spa.
Sarah Coles, director of sustainable trading for Chapter Two, said her team were "so proud of our community bookshop for winning this award".
Adding: "Chapter Two is run by a fantastic team of staff and volunteers and this award is testament to their passion, expertise, commitment and energy in making the shop the success it is today."
Aileen Montgomery-Miller, spa manager at Spa Illuminata, also said she was "incredibly proud" of the effort employees had put into providing a consistently high quality of service.
She added: "It's lovely to be named the best day spa in the area, especially because it was voted for by the community. We are really delighted and the credit should go to the whole team who have helped us to achieve this recognition."
Here's a list of all the Bucks winners:
Best Art Gallery – Carina Haslam Art (Great Missenden)
Best Beauty Salon – LA Skin Studio (Olney)
Best Bookshop – Chapter Two (Chesham)
Best Boutique Stay – The Five Arrows (Waddesdon)
Best Café – Roots (Chesham)
Best Day Spa – Spa Illuminata Danesfield House (Marlow)
Best Farmshop/Deli – Peterley Manor Farm (Prestwood)
Best Hair Salon – Brendan O’Sullivan (Amersham)
Best Hotel/Inn (+30 rooms) – Hartwell House (Aylesbury)
Best Lifestyle Store – Last Interior Design (Haddenham)
Best Sustainable Lifestyle Business – Little Karma Co (Long Crendon)
Best Wedding Photography – Danielle Newton Photography (Wycombe)
Best Wedding Venue – Tip Top Venues (Newton Longville)
Each winner of a Muddy Stilettos regional award will automatically progress to the national awards, which will be judged by editors of the lifestyle blog this summer.
Founder of Muddy Stilettos, Hero Brown, said this year's awards were made even more meaningful for coinciding with the 10-year anniversary of the brand.
"For a whole decade, we've helped to promote plucky local businesses and high streets by championing originality, creativity and quality.
"With 77,000 businesses nominated and 800,000 votes cast, this year was our biggest Awards ever! Each regional winner will be put forward for the National Muddy Awards to find the 'best of the best' across all 28 Muddy counties.
"Keep your peepers peeled for when we announce the National Finalists in the next few weeks!"
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