The Winners 2016/2017

The Winners 2016/2017

After much anticipation and a great deal of excitement, the winners in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2016 /17 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

 

The competition, now in its eighth year is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

 

The results were announced at a glittering Awards Dinner (Thurs 3rd November) staged at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in Northampton and watched by the evening’s special guest, Michel Roux OBE (Snr). Those were (in presentation order and, in the case of two winners or runners-up, in alphabetical order):

 

F&B Achiever of the Year

 

Winner: Angus and Kirsty Clarke of Waterloo Cottage Farm, Great Oxendon

Winner: The Jeyes Family of The Apothocoffee Shop, Earls Barton

 

Chairman’s Award

 

Winner: Paul McManus of The McManus Pub Company, Northampton

 

Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year

(sponsored by Northamptonshire County Council)

 

Winner: St Andrew’s Healthcare, Northampton

Runner-up: RCI Europe, Kettering

 

Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year

(sponsored by Pidy UK)

 

Winner: Dreams Coffee Lounge, Northampton

Runner-up: The Green Room, Brackley

 

Best Bar None – Late Night Venue of the Year

(sponsored by the Office of Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner)

 

Winner: Jeckyll & Hyde, Northampton

 

Best Bar None – Town Pub of the Year

(sponsored by the Office of Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner)

 

Winner: The Princess Alexandra, Northampton

 

Best Bar None – Rural Pub of the Year

(sponsored by the Office of Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner)

 

Winner: The Sun Inn, Hardingstone

 

New Local Drink of the Year

 

Winner: Elderflower Vodka – Jelley Distilleries, Brixworth

Runner-up: Podium Gold – Towcester Mill Brewery, Towcester

 

Artisan Local Drink of the Year

 

Winner: Lucky IPA – Maule Brewing Co, Northampton

Runner-up: Bad to the Bone – Gun Dog Ales, Woodford Halse

 

Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year

(Sponsored by Heygates Flour and Animal Feed)

 

Winner: Marinated Hogget Cannon – Waterloo Cottage Farm, Great Oxendon

Runner-up: Cobblers Nibble Cheese – Hamm Tun Fine Foods, Hannington

 

Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year

(sponsored by Moulton College)

 

Winner: Strawberries Ice Cream – I’m Real, Northampton

Runners-up: Orange Polenta Cake – The Happy Little Cake Company, Northampton

 

New Local Product of the Year

(sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd)

 

Winner: Munchable Multiseed Crackers – Most Marvellous Baking, Northampton

Runner-up: Blackjack Ice Cream – Gallone’s Ice Cream, Northampton

Runner-up: Northamptonshire Blue Cheese – Hamm Tun Fine Foods, Hannington

 

Farming Innovation Award

(sponsored by the Weetabix Growers Group)

 

Winner: New Lodge Farm, Bulwick

Winner: Turney Partners, Quinton

 

Weetabix Local Food Hero of the Year

(sponsored by Weetabix)

 

Winner: Elsie’s Pay As You Feel Café, Northampton

Runner-up: Adam Church of Bread and Pullet, Northampton

Runner-up: Magee Street Bakery, Northampton

 

Chef of the Year

(sponsored by TMI Foods and Cordant People)

 

Winner: Shane Clarke from 185 Watling Street, Towcester

Runner-up: Grant Wentzel from Rose & Crown Bistro, Yardley Hastings

 

Restaurant of the Year

(sponsored by Whitco Catering and Bakery Equipment)

 

Winner: The Palmichael, Burton Latimer

Runner-up: Olive, Corby

 

Booker Food Pub of the Year

(sponsored by Booker)

 

Winner: The Plough @ Shutlanger, Shutlanger

Runner-up: The Hopping Hare, Northampton

 

Booker Young Chef of the Year

(sponsored by Booker)

 

Winner: Sebastian McLean from Rushton Hall, Rushton

Runner-up: Marcus Franklin from The Plough @ Shutlanger, Shutlanger

 

Spice Restaurant of the Year

(sponsored by British Pepper & Spice)

 

Winner: Mem-Saab, Northampton

Runner-up: Taste of Spice, Northampton

Runner-up: The Exotic Dining, Kettering

 

Great Service Award

 

Winner: The Red Lion, East Haddon

 

The evening also put a spotlight on Eat Out Eat Well, a national scheme run here in the county by Environmental Health Northamptonshire which rewards caterers and eateries who make it easier for their customers to make healthy choices, and saw the top scoring Gold venues from five of the seven borough and district councils being celebrated for their achievement. They are:

Kafe Bloc in Kettering

Manvell Farm Tea Room in Walgrave

Millie’s Café in Wellingborough

Mrs B’s in Rushden

Reg’s Café in Kings Sutton

 

The winners of all the categories were presented with a trophy – a specially commissioned bone china jug designed by Newnham-based Susan Rose China – by Michel and the categories’ respective sponsors.

 

Welcoming guests to the event were the Awards’ Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, Bruce Ray, VP Global Government Relations and UK Corporate Affairs at Carlsberg and Stephen Catchpole who is the Chief Executive of SEMLEP.

 

Guests made up of finalists, judges, sponsors, media partners and supporters including Awards Patrons William Sitwell, Sophie Grigson and Mary Laing then enjoyed a sumptuous three course meal designed and created by Lee Scott, with help from a team of culinary students from Northampton College who switched their regular classes for the experience of being part of the prestigious event.

 

The menu included a starter of duck parfait, sticky duck bun with local honey from Beeline Apiculture at Castle Ashby and toasted local sourdough from The Good Loaf in Northampton, the main course of beef generously provided by Booker, while the pudding was a twist on a black forest gateau using Caffè Mocha Milk Chocolate from finalists Seed and Bean in Corby and served with a kirsch cream using cream from Newlands Farm at Hannington. The culinary offering concluded with petits fours generously provided by Belflair Chocolates of Brackley.

 

To watch the videos of the Chef and Booker Young Chef of the Year cook-offs and the bake-off in the Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year category, please visit our gallery page while you can also follow the Awards on twitter at @foodawardsHQ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodawards

 

If you are an organisation, business or individual interested in taking part in, or sponsoring, next year’s Awards, please contact Rachel at The Mallows Company on 01933 664437.

 

 

Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards

The Mallows Company (07103621)

A Celebration and Recognition of Excellence within

Northamptonshire's Food and Drink Sector

The Winners 2016/2017

Weetabix Northamptonshire

Food and Drink Awards

The Mallows Company (07103621)

A Celebration and Recognition of Excellence within

Northamptonshire's Food and Drink Sector