Fifteenth Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards launched for 2023 – with exciting opportunities coming

The fifteenth Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards has been launched for 2023, and there are exciting opportunities coming for the hospitality sector.

On Monday morning (March 20), the Awards were launched at Silverstone Circuit when organisers, category sponsors and former winners gathered to celebrate a decade-and-a-half of success.

Rachel Mallows, the founder of the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, said: “This is an opportune time to think about celebrating all the great things that are growing and happening in Northamptonshire.

“I start here today thinking about last year – we hoped for the launch of the 2023 awards that we would be talking about moving into prosperity after Brexit, Covid, and the cost of living crisis.

“I can’t kick off this competition without acknowledging the tremendous hard work of this sector. The hundreds if not thousands of individuals who work so hard in food, drink and hospitality.

“We want to use this competition to celebrate everything you’re doing.”

The launch event was held at Silverstone Circuit, the silver winners in last year’s ‘healthy food and wellbeing’ category and who also work closely with Towcester Community Larder to utilise food waste in the community.

Hilton Garden Inn, at Silverstone, has also become a sponsor for a new category, ‘event venue of the year’.

“We not only nourish and treat ourselves through food and drink consumption, but we build friendships and enjoy our families and communities through home cooking and eating out,” Rachel added.

“Food and drink remains the largest manufacturing sector in the UK and we add value to the bottom line.”

Katie Steele, the coordinator at Towcester Community Larder, was in attendance and shared the benefits winning in the ‘food hero’ category has had over the past year.

She said: “The big thing for us was the recognition for all the volunteers who put so much effort into running the sessions week on week.

“Our win also opened up more links with local businesses, such as Whittlebury Park – who we’re working with to use leftovers to generate prepared food, such as soups and cakes, to distribute in our community cafe for free.”

There are hopes that this collaboration will expose people to recipes that can be used to create “great healthy food” from larder produce.

“The awards are a great thing to be part of, even for mentoring sessions we’ve been invited to and the links we’ve established with local people – it’s been fabulous,” Katie added. “It’s great to see everyone gathered again.”

This year’s awards hopes to do the same as it has every year – highlight what the county has to offer and celebrate the hard work that has gone into overcoming the many hurdles the hospitality industry has faced in recent years.

Rachel finished by saying: “The county’s food, drink and hospitality sector gets ready to be nominated, entered, judged and have the chance to win and celebrate its achievements.”

More information on how to get involved with the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2023 will be available in due course.