OVER 100 finalists… 500 hours of judging… winners galore in each of 19 categories at this year’s Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards.
The county’s “brilliant” food and drink sector has taken centre stage at the annual celebration, held at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton.
Hundreds of guests stood to applaud the community winners, local champions and te culinary expertise on display county-wide.
Stuart Branch, chief people and digital officer for headline sponsor Weetabix, said: “Weetabix is delighted to be headline sponsor for the fourth year running, especially as aspects of sustainability are included in every category.
“Sustainability is in our DNA at Weetabix and so important to our local communities, our customers and our consumers. We are delighted that this ethos is shared among the brilliant people and businesses that come together through the awards process.”
The company, one of Northamptonshire’s leading employers, is proud to support awards director Rachel Mallows pictured above, of The Mallows Company, and her team to ensure that award winners in every category receive the recognition they deserve.
“We know that they have worked so hard to achieve it,” Mr Branch said.
“These awards not only provide us with an opportunity to recognise our amazing Weetabix Growers’ group of farmers but also to celebrate the brilliant businesses from around the county, giving us the opportunity to learn from each other, taking inspiration from the innovation, creativity, and ambition in this space.”
Guests enjoyed a sumptuous dinner served by Kettering-based caterer Portfolio Events. The menu showcased examples of Northamptonshire produce including Dovely Bakery Rose Cottage multi seed loaf, Hamm Tun Fine Foods’ Northamptonshire blue cheese, Urban Microgreen mixed salad, New Lodge Vineyard Chilli Honey dressing, Three Hills Brewery Heidrun Session NEIPA, Eat Curious vegan Wellington, and Boughton House honey.
Wholesaler Booker sponsored the Gastro Pub of the Year and Young Chef of the Year awards. Darren Brown, customer director, catering, said: “It is fantastic to see such brilliant talent. It has been a hard time for the industry which is why it is even more important to get behind these fantastic local companies to allow them to keep bringing brilliant food and drink to their communities and to help encourage employment for the sector.
“All companies and the young chefs should be proud of their achievements and Booker will continue to offer the choice, prices, and services this sector requires while also continuing to support young chefs coming into the sector.”
The culinary themed trophies were created from upcycled metalware and were presented by MC Helen Fospero, known for her presenting role on shows such as GMTV, Daybreak and Lorraine.
Whitworth Bros Ltd managing director Mike Peters said: “Every year the Awards ceremony and Gala Dinner is an evening to remember and this year was no exception. I’d encourage everyone to seek out the winners and finalists in each of the categories to support them throughout the year as we continue to make Northamptonshire a great place to eat, work and live.”
THE WINNERS
Artisan Local Drink of the Year Sponsored by J Sweeney Accountants
GOLD – Club 80 Navy Strength London Dry Gin, Silverstone Distillery
SILVER – Blueberry Juice, Mee Blueberries; Oat Drink, Wild & Furrow
BRONZE – Heidrun Session NEIPA, Three Hills Brewing Ltd; Phipps Foundry Mild, Phipps Northampton Brewery Co Ltd; Paw Another, Bearly Organised Ltd; Winwick Hall Methode Champenoise, Winwick Hall Bruce Green Limited
Artisan Local Product of the Year Sponsored by Heygates
GOLD – Coffee Ice Cream, Your Cool
SILVER – Boughton Estate Homemade Honey, The Boughton Estate; Shoetown Blue, Hamm Tun Fine Foods
BRONZE – Lemon Curd, Friars Farm; New Lodge Vineyard Chili Honey, Made by the Beekeeper; Northampton Cheesecake, F.F Tee Bakery ;Steak Pasty, Duston Village Bakery
Artisan Local Vegetarian/Vegan Product of the Year Sponsored by Daily Bread
GOLD – Strawberry & Rose Cake, Mill House – The Old Stable Yard Tea Room
SILVER – Carrot, Parsnip & Pecan Cake, Sophisticake Creations; Northamptonshire Blue, Hamm Tun Fine Foods
BRONZE – Fresh Oyster Mushrooms, Shoots & Spores; Harrington Wild Garlic Butter, The Tollemache Arms; Rose Cottage Multi Seed Loaf, Dovely Bakery; Salad Mix, Urban Microgreens
Booker Gastro Pub of the Year Sponsored by Booker
GOLD – The Tollemache Arms, Harrington
SILVER – The Rose & Crown, Yardley Hastings; The Sheaf Inn, West Haddon; The Kings Arms, Polebrook
BRONZE – The Old Talbot, Potterspury
Booker Young Chef of the Year Sponsored by Booker
GOLD – Jade Walter – Rushton Hall Hotel & Spa
SILVER – Thomas Giles – The Falcon Hotel, Castle Ashby
BRONZE – Harvey Tapp – The Snooty Fox, Lowick; Levi Moukan – The Falcon, Fotheringhay
Canape of the Year Sponsored by Portfolio Events
Kamil Podgorski, Northampton College
Community Café of the Year Sponsored by The Good Loaf, and The Health and Wellbeing services at West Northamptonshire Council
GOLD – Bennett’s, Thrapston
SILVER – Bob’s Corby, Corby; Polo Pavilion Tea Room, Winwick
BRONZE – Happy Mondays, Rushden; A Place to Bee, Kingsthorpe
CERTIFICATE OF MERIT – Lavender Bee Tea Room, Kettering
Event Venue of the Year Sponsored by Hilton Garden Inn
GOLD – Silverstone Circuits Ltd
CRYSTAL – The Granary at Fawsley
SILVER – Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens; Kettering Park Hotel & Spa; Rushton Hall Hotel & Spa
BRONZE – Furtho Manor Farm
Farming Environment Award Sponsored by Weetabix
GOLD – J.A. Knight & Sons
SILVER – Courteenhall; Wold Farm
BRONZE – J.E Atkinson & Son; White House Farm
Certificate of Merit – Stetchworth Estate Farm
F&B Achiever of the Year Sponsored by Howes Percival Solicitors
GOLD – Joe Buckley, The Tollemache Arms; Eddie & James White, Whites of Earls Barton
BRONZE – Glenn Newman, The Granary, Fawsley, Daventry, and The Waterside Café at Northampton Active, Northampton; Steve Reid, Northampton Cheese Co., Northampton Charcuterie Co., and Friars Farm, Northampton; Jo & Nigel Wagstaff, Houghton Hams
Food and Drink College Student of the Year Sponsored by University of Northampton
GOLD – Cohen O’Dell, Northampton College
SILVER – Thomas Walshaw, Moulton College; Cara Payne, Northampton College
BRONZE – Chloe Matthews, Moulton College; Alex Mundey, Tresham College, Corby
Dante Newman, Tresham College, Corby
Healthy Food and Wellbeing of the Year Sponsored by Delapre Abbey
Producers
GOLD – Mango Explosion Granola, Salma Soulful
SILVER – Organic Wheatgrass Juice, Britt’s Superfoods
BRONZE – Chocolate Super Shake, Nasty Vegan; Bresaola, Northampton Charcuterie Company; Carrot Cookies, The Loving Chef
Workplace
GOLD – Sol Laug Haven
SILVER – Weatherbys
BRONZE – Silverstone Circuits Ltd
Local Food Hero of the Year Sponsored by Moulton College
GOLD – Rick Sharpe, The Roaming Artisan
SILVER – Milly Fyfe; Claire Gurney, The Shack Food Project
BRONZE – Narinder Hammond, Skittles Community Shop
One to Watch Sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd
GOLD – Restaurant Ember; Santina’s Wood Fired Pizza Co.
SILVER – Nasty Vegan
BRONZE – Butterwick Bakery; Royal Oak, Naseby
Outstanding Contribution to Food & Drink Northamptonshire
Jo & Nigel Wagstaff, Houghton Hams
Patrons Award
Phil Martin, Northampton College
Restaurant of the Year Sponsored by Greedy Gordons
GOLD – The Palmichael, Burton Latimer
SILVER – Marseille, Northampton; Murrays, Whittlebury Park, Towcester
BRONZE – Hopping Hare, Northampton; Karmana, Northampton; Tap and Kitchen, Oundle
Weetabix Sustainability Award Sponsored by Weetabix
GOLD – Sol Laug Haven
SILVER – Blue Skies Ltd; SNVB (South Northants Volunteer Bureau)
BRONZE – The Farm Shed; Green Machine Refill; Silverstone Circuits Ltd
Whitco Chef of the Year Sponsored by Whitco
GOLD – Adam Phillips, The Falcon at Castle Ashby
SILVER – Zak Perrin, The Falcon at Fotheringhay
BRONZE – Piotr Czarnocki, Gourmand Pierre Private Dining
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Daniel Webster, Websters Catering and Events; Laszlo Bodnarjuk, The Palmichael; Reece Coles, Hops and Chops
World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Sponsored by British Pepper & Spice
GOLD – June Plum, Wellingborough
SILVER – Marmaris, Northampton; Mexican Fire Garden, Kettering
BRONZE – Little India, Earls Barton; Voujon, Long Buckby
Find out more on the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2023/24 at www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk.
