WITH the first of the closing dates in this, the tenth year of the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards almost upon us, it seems fitting to take the opportunity to reflect on the impact that the competition has had on some of the winners of the last nine years.
In this, the third in the series, the focus is on Bottom Farm in Hargrave near Wellingborough, home of Farrington Oils whose Balsamic Dressing was named Best Local Product (as the category was then known) in the 2011/12 Awards.
Farrington Oils was founded in 2005 by Duncan Farrington, a young fourth generation farmer who, having quickly realised that the future of the family business depended on diversification, drew on his university expertise to set up the UK’s first seed-to-bottle cold-pressed rapeseed oil producer.
After traipsing round local farm shops in the early days – many of which remain loyal customers to this day – Duncan’s bright bottles of Mellow Yellow, as well as the other dressings and mayonnaises which now make up the Farrington Oils range, are stocked countrywide in prestigious restaurants and major supermarkets, as well as abroad.
Yet, ask Duncan what the Carlsberg title means to him and it’s obvious it remains dear to his heart: “We’d entered the competition the previous two years so to take the title at the third time of asking was wonderful, especially with a product which we only launched earlier that summer,” explained Duncan.
“Although we were already selling nationally and internationally, our greatest following was, and still is, here in Northamptonshire and so to receive that local award from those wonderful supporters was great and a real pat on the back for our efforts.”
Despite picking up a wealth of other accolades in the intervening years – including BBC Food and Farming, Waitrose Small Producers and numerous Great Taste Awards – Duncan also recognises the value of the county competition in encouraging and prompting growth among smaller producers: “For us it wasn’t just about having that winner’s logo to put on our website but also the opportunity to learn from some of the senior executives of the major local food companies who, as sponsors, were only too keen to share their expertise.
“To have access to that kind of business acumen with the reassurance of knowing I could tap into it whenever I’ve needed to has been invaluable.”
After picking up two further Carlsberg titles, including that of F&B Achiever of the Year in 2015/16 in recognition of his personal success in leading the Northamptonshire company to its rightful place on the culinary map, Duncan still finds it humbling to see his products appear regularly on many of the top TV cookery shows
“A couple of years ago, Samantha Cameron, the wife of the then Prime Minister, used our Mellow Yellow rapeseed oil in her vol-au-vents on an episode of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off, which she went on to win, and that gave all of us at Bottom Farm a real thrill,” said Duncan.
“Of course the whole team, which now numbers 16, has worked very hard to get where we are today but certainly winning the county awards has played its part in boosting us on our way to success.
“And we’re very proud to think that a little bottle of our Northamptonshire produce might have found its way back from those television studios to Number 10.”
For more details on this award-winning company, visit www.farrington-oils.co.uk or call 01933 622809 or find them on Facebook.
Meanwhile for more information on the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, including how to enter, visit www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk while you can also follow the Awards on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodawards or on twitter at @foodawardsHQ