Who are they? Nick Stafford, and his wife, Sally, founded Ha

As demand grew it became clear that bigger premises were needed, so in 1994, they moved to a nearby converted barn. They now produce 2,500 gallons each week and bottle their own brands ­ as well as those from other small northern brewers. Hambleton brews in the traditional way, using malted barley and English-grown hops, plus local water that they said helped produce balanced, refreshing beers with unique flavours. Tradition is important in the names of their ales too: most of the beers feature horse insignia, in references to a local legend about the white horse carved into the nearby Hambleton Hills. Two months ago Peter Wesley ­ formerly of Theakston's and Scottish & Newcastle ­ joined Hambleton as the new head brewer. Main brands: Hambleton Bitter (3.6% abv) ­ the original and most popular. Employees: 10 Don't mention: Big pubcos cutting off access to the market. "It was all fine in the early 1990s before the big pub companies came along and restricted our access," said Nick. But they are fighting back: as commercial director of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), Nick is lobbying the pubcos to get them to stock more ales from small producers. No firm commitments yet, but Nick remains positive. Future plans: After doubling their capacity last year, Hambleton's is set to relocate to bigger premises in 2004.