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ARCHIVE : TOP EATERIES SQUARE UP AS AWARDS SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

Food and drink businesses successfully short-listed for a prestigious award have been revealed.

Derbyshire County Council today (Tuesday 29 July) announced which eateries and watering holes had successfully made it on to the shortlist of each of the seven categories for this year’s Derbyshire Food and Drink Awards. The county council-run awards, now in their seventh year, are held to celebrate locally produced top quality food and drink and reward the county’s finest producers and businesses.

Businesses can apply to be considered for an award and this year members of the public have also been able to nominate their favourite eating and drinking establishments. The awards are judged by an independent panel of food specialists who will now secretly visit each of the short-listed businesses before deciding on the winners and runners up.

Venues 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 its menus. The successful businesses will find out if they have won at an awards ceremony being held at Thornbridge Hall, Ashford-in-the-Water, on Thursday 25 September.

Celebrity chef Brian Turner will present awards with county council cabinet member for regeneration Councillor Geoff Carlile, and East Midlands Today presenter Dominic Heale will speak at the ceremony.

Councillor Carlile said: “Derbyshire boasts a wide selection of top quality food and drink businesses, using locally-sourced produce and providing excellent service to their customers. “Our awards are a good way of recognising all their hard work and efforts over the year, and saying thank you on behalf of their customers.“

The short-listed venues are:
Restaurant of the Year
East Lodge Hotel and Restaurant, Rowsley
The Dining Room, Ashbourne
Buckingham’s, Chesterfield
Soul, Derby
Fischers at Baslow Hall
The Peacock at Rowsley
The Maynard, Grindleford

Bistro of the Year
The Butlers Pantry, Derby
The Strand, Matlock
Old Hall Hotel, Buxton
The Old Smithy, Monyash
Red Lion Pub and Bistro, Ashover
The Crown Inn, Marston Montgomery

Pub of the Year
The Druid Inn, Birchover
Saracens Head, Ashbourne
Chequers Inn, Froggatt Edge
Royal Oak, Buxton
Bluebell Inn, Ashbourne
Holly Bush, Church Broughton

Tea Room/Coffee House of the Year
Gallery Café, Ashbourne
Fresh Basil, Belper
Chatsworth Farm Shop and Restaurant
No. 6 The Square, Buxton
The Bloeman Coffee Shop, Allestree
Woodlands Tea Room, Charlesworth

Restaurant within an Attraction
Kedleston Hall
Cavendish Rooms, Chatsworth
Bournes Restaurant, Denby
The Great Kitchen, Hardwick Hall

Best International Restaurant
Ayotaya Thai Restaurant, Dronfield
La Romana, Moorfield
Le Mistral, Wirksworth
Carriages Restaurant and Bar, Buxton

Local Food Hero
The names put forward for Local Food Hero will be revealed at a later date.

The awards are being sponsored by Derbyshire Life magazine, with other sponsors being the Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership (DDEP), the Alliance SSP and Royal Crown Derby.

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