Take 100g of Northamptonshire’s most glorious stately homes
4 tbsp of the county’s finest food and drink
A large sprinkling of culinary expertise to inspire you in the kitchen
And the zest of one of the country’s most popular chefs 

And what have you got? The recipe for a perfect bank holiday to get anyone’s taste buds watering!

This weekend top TV chef Sophie Grigson returns to the county she once called home to judge the finalists in the brand new Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2009, as devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd.

 Sophie will be joining fellow expert Stephen Bulmer, former head chef at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Cookery School and William Sitwell, editor of Waitrose Food Illustrated to select winners in the categories ‘Best Local Produce’ and ‘Best Drink’ – the culmination of the culinary festival that is the Holdenby Food Show.

 Author of 19 cookery books and numerous television appearances since bursting onto the food scene more than 25 years ago, Sophie says she’s delighted to be involved in these brand new Awards. “I was thrilled to be asked to be part of the judging panel for the best local produce and best local drink for the first Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.  The list of finalists is impressive and I am looking forward to sampling the products at the Holdenby Food Show this weekend.  It is really important that people who set up and run businesses and are passionate about food and drink have the chance to be supported in their local communities.”

The competition’s co-ordinator, Rachel Mallows of Rachel Mallows: Services to Business, says it’s an honour to have Sophie on board “Our search for Northamptonshire’s finest food and drink deserves to have the finest of judges and in Sophie we have one of the very best! We’re very proud of the high standard of all those who took part and we think that all three judges are set for a very enjoyable – but very difficult – task in choosing their winners!”

The entries vying for the title of ‘Best Local Produce’ are

Dundee Cake from Towcester Country Markets
Mellow Yellow rapeseed oil from Farrington Oils
Potted Beef from Sauls of Spratton
Scarborough Fair Jelly from M.U.T.T.S
The Boozy Dark Breakfast marmalade from The Pickled Village 

While those battling to be named ‘Best Drink’ are:

Champs D’Amours Sparkling White from Fleur Fields
Fire-bellied Toad Beer from Frog Island Brewery
Northamptonshire Bitter from Hoggleys Brewery
Tickled Pink Sparkling Rosé from Welland Valley Vineyard 

Visitors to the Holdenby Food Show (sponsored by Bell) will have the chance to sample the nine shortlisted entries by heading to the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2009 stand across both days before the judges are locked away on Monday afternoon in one of the House’s impressive Elizabethan rooms to make their selection. Head Chef of Rhodes Twenty Four Adam Gray will then announce the results and present the awards to the winners at 3pm.

Here at Shires we  are delighted to be hosting the Simply Specialists demo marquee over the weekend. We have many exciting and fun demos taking place, so come along say hello, enter our competiton and you could be in with a chance to win a day with Shires.