[Archive : Awards Information 2007 ]
[Archive : Awards Shortlist 2007]

BIG NIGHT FOR FOOD AND DRINK’S FINEST AS 2007 WINNERS REVEALED

Derbyshire’s finest food and drink venues are celebrating their success after scooping top accolades at a prestigious food and drink awards ceremony.
The sixth Derbyshire Food and Drink Awards, organised by Derbyshire County Council, were held on Thursday 25 October at Thornbridge Hall, Ashford-in-the-Water.
Winners and those receiving highly commended accolades in the six categories were announced at the ceremony and presented with their awards by celebrity chef Brian Turner and county council cabinet member for regeneration Councillor Geoff Carlile.
The awards aim to find the best of Derbyshire’s eateries and establishments and are judged on a number of criteria including the quality of food and drink, customer service, use of county produce and acknowledgement of it on menus.
They are judged by an independent panel of food specialists including an AA inspector and an assessor for Quality in Tourism, and each short-listed venue then has a `mystery shopper’ visit.

The winners and highly commended venues are:

Best Restaurant:

• Winner - East Lodge, Rowsley
• Highly commended – `the dining room’, Ashbourne

Bistro/Pub:

• Winner - Devonshire Arms, Beeley
• Highly commended – Chequers Out, Froggatt

Coffee House:

• Winner - Gallery Café, Ashbourne
• Highly commended - Peli-Deli, Matlock

Best Breakfast:

• Winner - Hodgkinson’s, Matlock Bath
• Highly commended - Stocks, Chapel-en-le-Frith

Restaurant in an Attraction:

• Winner - Chatsworth Carriage House
• Highly commended - Derby Playhouse

Local Food Hero:

• Winner – Mettricks of Glossop
• Highly commended – Scott’s Garden, Riber

Councillor Carlile said: “The awards celebrate Derbyshire’s reputation as a producer of excellent quality food and drink and the council is very proud to stage them. “I would like to congratulate all the winners and the highly commended venues as well as thanking everyone who took part for making this year’s event another huge success.”
Councillor Carlile added: “As well as putting Derbyshire firmly on the culinary map, through the awards we can showcase our top quality food and drink venues and help to promote Derbyshire as a major tourist destination, further boosting local businesses and the economy.”
The awards come under the umbrella of the Derbyshire Food and Drink Initiatives, sponsored by the Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership and the Alliance SSP, which have also supported the Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair at Bolsover Castle and the Derbyshire Food Festival. This year the awards have also been sponsored by Midlands Co-op. Royal Crown Derby and Denby Pottery each sponsored three categories at the awards, with some refreshments being donated by Field House Foods, Thornton’s, Peak District Dairy, Pure Beans and National Forest Spring Water.

26 October 2007

Note to News Editors: A wide selection of photographs from Thursday night’s event are available from the press office via e-mail. Pictures were taken before the awards dinner and a picture of each of the winners and those receiving a highly commended award are also available.

Media enquiries only to Mandy Cann on 01629 585032 or e-mail mandy.cann@derbyshire.gov.uk