After much anticipation and a great deal of excitement, the winners of the 13 categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2013/14 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

 

The competition, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is now in its fifth year and 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 17th October) sponsored by Electrolux Professional and staged at Royal & Derngate in Northampton. Those were (in presentation order):

 

Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year

 

Winner: The Apothocoffee Shop, Earls Barton

Runner-up: The Courtyard Café, Daventry

 

Community Pub of the Year – Town

 

Winner: The Olde England, Northampton

Runner-up: The Golden Horse, Northampton

 

Community Pub of the Year – Rural

 

Winner: The George and Dragon, Chacombe

Runner-up: The Sun Inn, Hardingstone

 

Booker Food Pub of the Year

 

Winner: The Rose & Crown, Yardley Hastings

Runner-up: The Hopping Hare, Northampton

 

Restaurant of the Year

 

Winner: Oundle Mill, Oundle

Runner-up: The Falcon Inn, Fotheringhay

 

Artisan Local Product of the Year

 

Winner: Cold Eating Chicken and Ham Pie – Elliotts Kitchen, Towcester

Runner-up: Sticky Toffee Pudding – Elliotts Kitchen, Towcester

 

Artisan Local Drink of the Year

 

Gold: 1833 India Pale Ale – Hart Family Brewers, Wellingborough

Silver: Indian Summer IPA – Hoggleys Brewery, Litchborough

Bronze: Nene Valley Bitter – Nene Valley Brewery, Oundle

 

New Local Product of the Year

 

Winner: Farrington’s MELLOW YELLOW Garlic Mayonnaise – Farrington Oils, Hargrave

Runner-up: Blackberry Sorbet – Rossi’s Ice Cream, Kettering

 

New Local Drink of the Year

 

Gold: Harrington Dry Gin – Warner Edwards Distillery, Harrington

Silver: Black Jetty – Vale of Welton Cider, Welton

Bronze: Frank’s Steakhouse Ale – Nobby’s Brewery, Guilsborough

 

Local Food Hero of the Year

 

Winner: Duncan Farrington of Farrington Oils, Hargrave

Runners-up: Beckworth Emporium, Mears Ashby

and: Waterloo Cottage Farm, Great Oxendon

 

Spice Chef of the Year

 

Winner: Nadir Hussain of Sedgebrook Hall, Chapel Brampton

Runner-up: Mohammed Abdul Hye of Saffron, Northampton

 

Aspire Chef of the Year

 

Winner: Lee Gaskins of The Terrace Restaurant at Highgate House, Creaton

Runner-up: Gavin Austin of Oundle Mill, Oundle

 

Young Chef of the Year

 

Winner: Laura Gibbins of The World’s End, Ecton

Runner-up: Sophie Fountain of The White Swan Inn, Holcot

 

Among the winners was Laura Gibbins of The World’s End at Ecton who had to wait for the last announcement of the evening made by Stuart Hyslop of category sponsor, Booker, to learn that she had taken the ‘Young Chef of the Year’ title. “I can’t quite believe it!” revealed an almost speechless Laura after receiving her trophy. “It was really exciting just being part of the competition but to win is amazing and I’m sure it’s going to act as a massive springboard for my career so I’m just chuffed to bits!” she enthused.

 

Meanwhile, the night brought double celebrations for Duncan Farrington of Farrington Oils at Hargrave after his MELLOW YELLOW garlic mayonnaise picked up the ‘New Local Product of the Year’ title, only for him to hear Robert Whittle of category sponsor, Pidy UK, announce that he had been named ‘Local Food Hero of the Year’. “It’s always reassuring to be recognised by the industry for what we believe is a great product so we’re delighted to have won that first award,” explained Duncan, “but winning the Local Food Hero trophy was equally special, particularly as it started with someone having nominated me.

 

“But while it might seem like a personal award, it’s one that the whole team deserves and we shall certainly be putting both trophies proudly on display in the office for us all to share!” he added.

 

Those trophies – beautifully handcrafted in etched glass and painted with sheaves of barley and created by Rachael Aldridge of Aldridge Glass in Walgrave – were presented by a selection of this year’s Award judges including TV chef, Sophie Grigson, and the co-founder of ‘Ready Steady Cook’, Steven Saunders from Silverstone Hospitality.

 

It was Steven’s Executive Chef, Lee Scott, who prepared a wonderful three course menu for the 370 guests made up of entrants, judges, sponsors, media partners and supporters. They were treated to a starter of duck terrine from Pastures Farm Poultry at Yardley Hastings, an assiette of local beef provided by Booker and a dessert of trifle which used apples from New Creation Farm in Nether Heyford, eggs from Station Farm Eggs at Finedon and was served with blackberry sorbet from Rossi’s Ice Cream in Kettering which, earlier in the evening, had been named as runner-up in the ‘Artisan Local Product of the Year’ category.

 

Guests were welcomed to the event by the competition’s Director, Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, and later in the evening, NEP Chairman Paul Southworth thanked them for their support. “As the organisation behind these awards we are delighted that this competition is playing such a valuable role in an increasingly successful sector for the county.

 

“The food and drink sector is one which continues to include more than twice the national average of producer and numerous manufacturers delivering high end, award-winning specialist products which, combined with the hospitality sector is worth £1.5 billion to our local economy. Northamptonshire should quite rightly feel mightily proud of all those being celebrated here tonight,” he added.

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