John Petre, supply chain, procurement and technical director at Weetabix launches the 2022-23 awards
Organisers and sponsors champion the county’s food and drink producers at the launch of the 2022-23 Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards
New categories and a new sponsor… The Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is back for its 14th year.
The awards recognise and celebrate excellence within the Northamptonshire food and drink sector.
And this year’s competition features introduction of two debut categories: the Healthy Food and Wellbeing Award, which welcomes a fresh sponsor Delapré Abbey, and the Farming Environmental Award sponsored by Weetabix for the Weetabix Growers Group.
Weetabix is also headline sponsor of the awards for a third year – a sign of the Burton Latimer company’s commitment to the county’s flourishing food and drink sector. The breakfast giant will once again be joined by existing category sponsors Booker, British Pepper & Spice, Daily Bread, Whitco, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed, Howes Percival LLP, Moulton College and Whitworth Bros Ltd Flour Millers.
Launching the 2022-23 awards at The Falcon Hotel in Castle Ashby, Weetabix’s supply chain, procurement and technical director John Petre said: “The Farming Environment Award is an exciting new category, along with the Healthy Food and Wellbeing Award sponsored by Delapre Abbey – both of which capture the importance of sustainability.
“Weetabix is proud to once again be the headline sponsor for the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards and we look forward to supporting the sector by celebrating the sector.”
The Farming Environmental Award aims to celebrate the work of the members of the Weetabix Growers’ Group, who provide wheat from within a 50-mile radius of the Burton Latimer site. The award will champion those farmers who are reducing the environmental impact of growing wheat, Mr Petre added.
The full details of the latest competition were revealed by awards director Rachel Mallows, including a change to the Café award, a category now named Community Café of the Year to celebrate great cafes and tea roomsooms that also support their local communities.
“We are asking our foodies of the county to buy local, shop local and eat locally and help the sector not just recover but thrive after the past two years,” Ms Mallows said.
