Flavours Of Herefordshire Winners

Herefordshire’s acclaimed food and drink producers, chefs and restaurateurs have been commended at a special prize-giving ceremony to celebrate their work.

Restaurants, tea rooms, pubs and shops all received special commemorative plaques at the sixth annual Flavours of Herefordshire Awards, at Burton Court, near Pembridge, in north Herefordshire, on Monday (September 19).

The event was split into eight categories and featured a new section for Young Chef of the Year.

Dignitaries, industry leaders, producers, tourism bosses as well as cooks attended the ceremony.

In each category, which includes Restaurant of the Year, Tea Room of the Year, Pub of the Year, Flavours of Herefordshire Breakfast of the Year, Shop/Retailer of the Year, Producer of the Year and Self-Catering accommodation of the Year, awards were given to the overall winners while runner ups received highly commended acclaim.

The Flavours of Herefordshire, supported by businesses, Herefordshire Council, Heart of England and other partners, is aimed at encouraging catering outlets and shops to source their supplies locally. 

It also aims to persuade restaurateurs to preserve and promote authentic traditional recipes while developing and promoting new dishes based on the food and drink products of the area.

Judges have secretly visited and tasted the produce on offer before the difficult job of selecting winners.

"The quality has been outstanding and it’s a very difficult job for our judges to decide winners," said Herefordshire Council’s Principal Tourism Officer, Jane Lewis. 

"We feel that this probably reflects the fact that people have recognised the true worth of the awards to their businesses. 

“Increased competition, of course, usually leads to improved quality, and I think Herefordshire can be justifiably proud of the food and drink it now offers to both its local residents and visitors."

All of the award winners and runners-up in this year's scheme will be featured in the Flavours of Herefordshire Guide which will be launched in October and distributed both nationally, and overseas, to highlight the quality of food and drink produced and served in this part of Britain.