The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited (NEL), are aimed at celebrating all that is great about the county’s produce and drink, to recognise excellence within its dining venues and to reward those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

Said Carlsberg UK’s CEO, Isaac Sheps, “Carlsberg UK is delighted to be the headline sponsor of the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards 2010/11.　The local community is very important to Carlsberg UK and we are very proud to help celebrate all that is great about food and drink in Northamptonshire.”

The news of the deal comes as other local major businesses have pledged their support for the Awards with the exciting result that the competition has expanded from last year’s four categories to seven. Last year’s hotly-contested categories were:
‘Best Local Product’
‘Best Local Drink’
‘Restaurant of the Year’
‘Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year’ – sponsored by South Lincs Foodservice
And this year’s additional categories are:
‘Community Pub of the Year’ – sponsored by Carlsberg UK
‘Curry Chef of the Year’ – sponsored by British Pepper and Spice in conjunction with Northampton College‘
Local Food Hero of the Year’ – sponsored by CPRE Northants (Council for the Protection of Rural England)

The competition’s co-ordinator, Rachel Mallows, of ‘Rachel Mallows Services to Business’ added, “We are indebted to Carlsberg UK and to those other firms that have come forward in this way. Their support will enable us to build on the success of last year’s competition and it demonstrates a recognition of the importance of these Awards, which can only serve to strengthen Northamptonshire’s position on the culinary map!”
The Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2010 were launched at Holdenby House on Thursday 29^th April. Guests including last year’s winners and runners-up, judges and sponsors were treated to a cookery demonstration of a Northamptonshire brunch whipped up by chefs Jeremy Medley from Oundle Mill and Adam Tindall from The Saracen’s Head at Little Brington, runners-up in the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ and ‘Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year’ competitions respectively in 2009.

The brunch was created entirely from county produce including sausages, bacon and black pudding from ‘Sauls of Spratton’, whose ‘Potted Beef’ won last year’s ‘Best Local Product’ award. They were fried in rapeseed oil from ‘Farrington Oils’, runners-up in that category, and were accompanied by eggs laid on a farm in Blisworth and mushrooms grown in Moreton Pinkney. Finally, all were served up with a dollop of Bulwick chutney or Earls Barton ketchup and washed down with a mug of Corby coffee and Hannington milk (with local honey for those who needed a sweetener!) or a glass of refreshing Sulgrave Manor apple juice.

Kate Dent, Head of Tourism at NEL, said “These awards continue a vital role in our quality approach to tourism in Northamptonshire. The Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards are a perfect way of raising the profile of Northamptonshire whilst gaining much-needed publicity and ongoing support for all those who get involved. We’re delighted that in only its second year, the awards have attracted such support, attention and notable sponsors.”