The team behind the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards are delighted to announce that the competition has been launched for its fourth year – and it’s bigger and better than ever!

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), are 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.

Thanks to ongoing support from NEP, its other sponsors and partners, including headline sponsor Carlsberg UK, Booker, British Pepper & Spice and Whitco, and the addition of four new sponsors – Beckworth Emporium, Explore Communications Ltd, Leatherhead Food Research and Whitworth Bros. Ltd – the competition has expanded yet again to an impressive twelve categories – those being:
‘New Local Product of the Year’ – sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd
‘New Local Drink of the Year’ – sponsored by Beckworth Emporium
‘Artisan Local Product/Drink of the Year’ – sponsored by Leatherhead Food Research with Image Magazine
‘Restaurant of the Year’ – sponsored by Whitco with Business Times
‘Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year’ – sponsored by Whitco with Great Food Magazine
‘Community Pub of the Year – Town’ – with the Chronicle & Echo and Evening Telegraph
‘Community Pub of the Year – Rural’ – with the Chronicle & Echo and Evening Telegraph
‘Booker Chef of the Year’ – sponsored by Booker with Taste Magazine
‘Young Chef of the Year’ – sponsored by Booker
‘Spice Chef of the Year’ – sponsored by British Pepper and Spice in conjunction with Northampton College and with WOW Magazine
‘Local Food Hero’ – sponsored by CPRE Northants (Campaign to Protect Rural England) with Aspire Magazine
‘Northamptonshire Jubilee Breakfast’ – sponsored by Explore Communications Ltd

The details of the new-look competition were revealed at the launch at The Malt Shovel Tavern in Northampton, the current ‘Community Pub of the Year – Town’, by NEP’s Executive Director Rob Purdie. Speaking before an audience made up of last year’s winners, sponsors, judges and competition partners, he explained the increasing value of the awards in supporting the visitor economy in Northamptonshire; “I am delighted to be launching this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards which reflect our support for this sector in the county. We developed the awards because food and drink is of vital importance to the local economy – representing 18% or £150 million of overall visitor expenditure each year – and demonstrates strong potential for future growth. We are also committed to encouraging people to ‘buy local’, not least because this approach further strengthens the local economy and benefits local communities.”

Meanwhile Matt Callan, Carlsberg UK’s Production Director, gave an insight into why the company is lending its support again this year; “Carlsberg has been brewing in Northampton since the seventies and we are really proud to call it our home town. Our local community is really important to us so we’re delighted to once again be sponsoring this fantastic initiative and look forward to celebrating all that is great about our local food and drink.”
Also present was Paul McManus of the McManus Pub Company which owns The Sun Inn at Hardingstone, the current ‘Community Pub of the Year – Rural’. He spoke of the significant impact that success in the competition is having; “Given the current climate, any pub that’s holding its own is doing well, yet at The Sun Inn we’re seeing a 20% rise in like-for-like sales compared with last year. I’m sure that being involved in this competition has played a major part in that so I’d urge everyone who can, in whatever category, to take part.”
Finally, the Awards’ co-ordinator, Rachel Mallows of the Mallows Company, thanked those who have enabled the expansion of the competition; “I believe the support of our existing sponsors and of those joining us this year demonstrates the increasing prestige of these awards and we’re delighted that those companies are behind us in helping to celebrate and nurture the county’s food and drink sector.”
She also talked of her excitement at the new categories being introduced; “We want the awards to encourage growth and innovation which is why we’ve brought in the categories of ‘New Local Product’ and ‘New Local Drink’, while the ‘Artisan Local Product/ Drink of the Year’ still enables Northamptonshire’s traditional produce to bid for culinary glory! I’m also really looking forward to the ‘Northamptonshire Jubilee Breakfast’ category as we believe that food and festivities go hand in hand and it seemed the perfect way to celebrate the Queen’s sixty years on the throne!”
Following the speeches, the guests were treated to a Northamptonshire ploughman’s lunch created almost exclusively from local produce. It included salad drizzled with Farrington’s Balsamic Vinegar Dressing from Farrington Oils in Hargrave and a hearty slice of Diamond Pie from Sauls of Spratton, winner and runner-up in last year’s ‘Best Local Product’ category respectively. They were washed down with glasses of Fleur Fields Rosé from Fleur Fields at Brixworth and Medium Apple Juice from Flore’s The Village Orchard, which were first and second in the ‘Best Local Drink’ category respectively.
For more details on all twelve categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2012/13, including downloading entry forms or how to nominate in both of the ‘Community Pub of the Year’ and ‘Local Food Hero of the Year’ categories, please visit www.letyourselfgrow.com/foodanddrinkawards or contact Rachel Mallows on 01933 664437 or email rachel@rachelmallows.com