The Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards launches with stunning food at Castle Ashby hotel

Tuesday, April 5 marked the official launch of the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards (WNFAD) 2022/23.

The awards, in its fourteenth year, was launched with an elegant breakfast hosted at The Falcon Hotel’s Eyas Restaurant in Castle Ashby, which won Gold in the local dining venue of the year category last year.

Guests were served with intricately prepared breakfast dishes, each incorporating Weetabix in a creative way. This included aerated yoghurt foam with berries and a Weetabix wafer, a banana and Weetabix sandwich and a smoothie of Weetabix with cashew nuts and coffee.

Breakfast was prepared by The Falcon Hotel’s chef, Russell Bateman, who announced that the Eyas restaurant will be introducing a new tasting menu in a bid to reduce waste and staff labour.

Supply chain and technical director at Weetabix, John Petre, thanked all sponsors and former WNFAD award winners for attending the breakfast.

Mr Petre said: “We would normally start by asking, ‘have you had your Weetabix?’ Clearly, everyone has today.

“As a local company, these awards are really important to us. They celebrate the work of fantastic businesses and individuals across the county.

“When we became sponsors, we introduced the new sustainability award and we are pleased to say this award has gone from strength to strength.”

Mr Petre added that Weetabix supports local farmers by using wheat grown within 50 miles of their factory in Burton Latimer.

Two new categories were announced for this year’s WNFAD awards: the ‘farming environment award’ and the ‘healthy food and wellbeing award.’

Northampton’s Delapre Abbey was additionally announced as a new sponsor.

Last year’s Gold chef of the year award winner, Zak Perrin of Fotheringhay’s The Falcon Inn was asked to say a few words.

Mr Perrin said: “I won gold last year, which was one of the proudest moments of my career.”

He continued: “It has been great for the business and myself personally and professionally. It has been great to have motivation to keep going with it.

“I am not from Northamptonshire originally so it has really opened my eyes to what we have on our doorstep.”

Other former Gold winners in attendance at the launch was the founder of Wharf Distillery - England’s smallest whiskey distillery - Laurence Connisbee (F&B achiever of the year) and founder of zero waste and plastic free shop ‘Re’ in Flore, Lindsay Singh (Weetabix sustainability award).

Awards director, Rachel Mallows MBE DL, said: “This is the start of our fourteenth year, despite difficult trade and circumstances but we are going to get the public out eating and dining and buying to support the local food sector.”

Here are some pictures from the WNFAD awards launch at The Falcon Hotel on Tuesday, April 5: