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.
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