IT IS one of the biggest and longest catering contracts of its type ever seen in Hampshire.

Leith's, an arm of catering giant Compass, has just been dished up a £10m deal to provide the catering at one of Britain's top tourist attractions.

In a ten-year exclusive tie-up, it will serve visitors to the ancestral 7,000-acre Beaulieu Estate in the heart of the New Forest.

The estate, owned by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, pictured below right,is home to the National Motor Museum, which contains one of the largest collections of historic vehicles in the world.

Other attractions include the 14th-century Palace House, which is the Montagu family home, and the 13th-century Beau-lieu Abbey.

The deal was done between Leith's, part of the sport, leisure and fine dining division of Compass, and Beaulieu Enterprises, which runs the various businesses on the famous estate.

Leith's will also manage facilities at Domus, the conference and banqueting venue next to the abbey, and The Brabazon, the restaurant for the day visitor centre.

The firm is also to undertake major event catering with mobile units and bars.

Russell Bowman, managing director of Beaulieu Enterprises, said: "We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Leith's and look forward to working with them to further enhance the service we offer to all our customers."

Nick Moorhouse, managing director for Leith's, said: "We're pleased and proud to be operating at Beaulieu.

"As centres of historic and social significance, the choice of venues is truly inspiring and we're confident that our catering matches these high standards."