BLACK Country people are being urged to show their cake-ability to celebrate the 300th anniversary of one of the nation's finest landscape designers.

Lancelot 'Capability' Brown was the premier landscape architect in the 18th century, credited with creating some of the most beautiful settings for stately homes in England and Wales including Himley Hall near Dudley.

Although the date of his birth is unknown, his baptism took place on August 30 1716 and to mark its 300th anniversary the Capability Brown Festival is launching Brown’s Birthday Bake - a competition calling on Britain’s bakers to create a birthday cake.

Brown is the man behind landscapes at Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth and Highclere Castle – the fictional home of Downton Abbey.

Anyone can take part in Brown’s Birthday Bake, but to be in with a chance of winning, bakers need to share images of their cakes on social media, either via Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest using #brownsbirthdaybake, or on Facebook by posting it to the festival's profile page.

The design of each bake can be novel or serious, either with a focus on Brown himself, or taking inspiration from a local Brown landscape, or highlighting one of his famous designs.

Ceryl Evans, Capability Brown Festival director, said: “The Capability Brown Festival is about engaging people with the life, work and legacy of Capability Brown – whether this be existing fans, or people who have heard his name but are unsure as to why, or what he did.

"We hope that Brown’s Birthday Bake will entice audiences who love baking to find out more about Brown, by perhaps creating a scene from one of his landscapes or even a sponge portrait of Brown himself.”

Entrants must be over 18, entries should be submitted before Sunday August 21. For more information about the Capability Brown Festival and the competition visit capabilitybrown.org