Your run down of the gold, silver and bronze winners in the 21 categories at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards

This year’s Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards saw hundreds from the industry gather to celebrate each other’s achievements.

Hosted at the Royal & Derngate on Wednesday evening (November 1), the room was bustling with people and spirits were high from start to finish.

Awards director Rachel Mallows opened the evening with a speech, welcoming guests to the fifteenth annual awards ceremony.

She said: “Let me start by thanking every single one of you for all you are doing to make Northamptonshire a great community to live, eat, work and a place with tasty local and artisan food and drink.

“We are not focusing on the difficulties of the year – and I know there are many – we are celebrating each other’s successes and delights.”

Here is your run down of the gold, silver and bronze winners in each of the 21 categories at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards 2023…

Community Awards

Artisan Local Drink of the Year, sponsored by J Sweeney Accountants:

Gold: Club 80: Navy Strength London Dry Gin by Silverstone Distillery

Silver: Blueberry Juice by Mee Blueberries, and Oat Drink, Wild & Furrow

Bronze: Heidrun Session NEIPA by Three Hills Brewing Ltd, Phipps Foundry Mild by Phipps Northampton Brewery Co Ltd, Paw Another by Bearly Organised Ltd, and Winwick Hall Methode Champenoise by Winwick Hall Bruce Green Limited

Artisan Local Product of the Year, sponsored by Heygates:

Gold: Coffee Ice Cream by Your Cool

Silver: Boughton Estate Homemade Honey by The Boughton Estate, and Shoetown Blue by Hamm Tun Fine Foods

Bronze: Lemon Curd by Friars Farm, New Lodge Vineyard Chili Honey by Made by the Beekeeper, Northampton Cheesecake by F.F Tee Bakery, and Steak Pasty by Duston Village Bakery

Artisan Local Vegan/Vegetarian Product of the Year, sponsored by Daily Bread:

Gold: Strawberry & Rose Cake by the Mill House at the Old Stableyard Tearoom

Silver: Parsnip & Pecan Cake by Sophisticake Creations, and Northamptonshire Blue by Hamm Tun Fine Foods

Bronze: Fresh Oyster Mushrooms by Shoots & Spores, Harrington Wild Garlic Butter by The Tollemache Arms, Rose Cottage Multi Seed Loaf by Dovely Bakery, and Salad Mix by Urban Microgreens

Local Food Hero, sponsored by Moulton College:

Gold: Rick Sharpe, The Roaming Artisan

Silver: Milly Fyfe, and Claire Gurney from The Shack Food Project

Bronze: Narinder Hammond from the Skittles Community Shop

Community Cafe of the Year, sponsored by The Good Loaf and Public Health at West Northamptonshire Council:

Gold: Bennett’s

Silver: Bob’s Corby, and Polo Pavilion Tea Room

Bronze: Happy Mondays, and The Place to Bee

Certificate of Merit: Lavender Bee Tea Room

Food & Drink College Student of the Year, sponsored by the University of Northampton:

Gold: Cohen O’Dell from Northampton College

Silver: Thomas Walshaw from Moulton College, and Cara Payne from Northampton College

Bronze: Chloe Matthews from Moulton College, Alex Mundey from Tresham College, and Dante Newman from Tresham College

Outstanding Contribution to Food and Drink Northamptonshire, sponsored by All Things Business: Jo and Nigel Wagstaff from Houghton Hams

Champion Awards

Weetabix Sustainability Award, sponsored by Weetabix:

Gold: Sol Laug Haven

Silver: Blue Skies Ltd, and South Northants Volunteer Bureau (SNVB)

Bronze: The Farm Shed, Green Machine Refill, and Silverstone Circuits Ltd

One to Watch, sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd:

Gold: Restaurant Ember and Santina’s Woodfired Pizza Co.

Silver: Nasty Vegan

Bronze: Butterwick Bakery, and Royal Oak in Naseby

F&B Achiever of the Year, sponsored by Howes Percival:

Gold: Joe Buckley from The Tollemache Arms, and Eddie and James White from Whites of Earls Barton

Bronze: Glenn Newman, Steve Reid, and Jo and Nigel Wagstaff

Patrons’ Award: Phil Martin from Northampton College

Farming Environment Award, sponsored by Weetabix:

Gold: JA Knight & Son Ltd

Silver: Courteenhall, and Wold Farm

Bronze: J.E Atkinson & Son, and White House Farm

Certificate of Merit: Stetchworth Estate Farm

Healthy Food and Wellbeing Producer Award, sponsored by Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust:

Gold: Mango Explosion Granola by Salma Soulful

Silver: Organic Wheatgrass Juice by Britt's Superfoods

Bronze: Chocolate Super Shake by Nasty Vegan, Bresaola by Northampton Charcuterie Company, and Carrot Cookies by The Loving Chef

Healthy Food and Wellbeing Workplace Award, sponsored by Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust:

Gold: Soul Laug Haven

Silver: Weatherbys

Bronze: Silverstone Circuits Ltd

Culinary Awards

Canapé of the Year, sponsored by Portfolio Events: Kamil Podgórski

Booker Gastro Pub of the Year, sponsored by Booker Wholesale:

Gold: The Tollemache Arms, Harrington

Silver: The Rose & Crown at Yardley Hastings, The Sheaf Inn at West Haddon, and The Kings Arms at Polebrook

Bronze: The Old Talbot in Potterspury

Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Greedy Gordons Pub Group:

Gold: The Palmichael

Silver: Marseille, and Murrays in Whittlebury Park

Bronze: Hopping Hare, Karmana, and Tap and Kitchen

World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by British Pepper & Spice:

Gold: June Plum

Silver: Marmaris, and Mexican Fire Garden

Bronze: Little India, and Voujon

Booker Young Chef of the Year, sponsored by Booker Wholesale:

Gold: Jade Walter from Rushton Hall Hotel and Spa

Silver: Thomas Giles from The Falcon Hotel in Castle Ashby

Bronze: Harvey Tapp from The Snooty Fox in Lowick, and Levi Moukan from The Falcon in Fotheringhay

Whitco Chef of the Year, sponsored by Whitco:

Gold: Adam Phillips from The Falcon at Castle Ashby

Silver: Zak Perrin from The Falcon at Fotheringhay

Bronze: Piotr Czarnocki from Gourmand Pierre Private Dining

Highly Commended: Daniel Webster from Websters Catering and Events, Laszlo Bodnarjuk from The Palmichael, and Reece Coles from Hops and Chops

Event Venue of the Year, sponsored by Hilton Garden Inn:

Gold: Silverstone Circuits Ltd

Crystal: The Granary at Fawsley

Silver: Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens, Kettering Park Hotel & Spa, and Rushton Hall Hotel & Spa

Bronze: Furtho Manor Farm