Carlsberg Northants Food Awards winners

The Carlsberg Northamptonshire Food Awards 2011/12 have been revealed.

The results were announced on September 1 at Holdenby House (pictured above). The winners in the most hotly contested categories – those of Restaurant of the Year and Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year – were Beckworth Emporium of Mears Ashby and the Rose & Crown at Yardley Hastings respectively.

Rapeseed oil producer Farrington’s scooped the best local product award with its Balsamic Dressing.

The competition, devised by the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP), is in its third year and is designed to celebrate local produce and cuisine.

Judging is carried out by creating a shortlist for each category. Then the public are invited to vote for their favourite venue via text, online or in writing. Shortlisted venues are ‘mystery shopped’ or tested by two independent judges, both of whom are external to the county.

Here’s a list of winners and runners-up…

Young Chef of the Year
Winner: Leighanne Harrison
Runner-up: Paige Sanderson

(l-r) Ron Hickey of category sponsors Booker, Leighanne Harrison and Steven Saunders, a Fellow of the Master Chefs of Great Britain

Local Food Hero
Winner: Collyweston Community Shop
Runner-up: Nick Riseley of Creamers Coffee House, Raunds

Community Pub of the Year – Town
Winner (only): The Malt Shovel Tavern, Northampton

Community Pub of the Year – Rural
Winner (only): The Sun Inn, Hardingstone

(l-r) Paul McManus, Kurt Jones and Andrew Pye of The Sun Inn Hardingstone, Mark Wellings of sponsors Carlsberg UK and William Sitwell, editor of Waitrose Kitchen

Curry Chef of the Year
Winner: Durga Sapkota of Mem-Saab, Northampton
Runner-up: Bodrul Islam of Saffron, Northampton

Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year
Winner: Rose & Crown, Yardley Hastings
Runner-up: The Saracen’s Head, Little Brington

Restaurant of the Year
Winner: Beckworth Emporium, Mears Ashby
Runner-up: The Seafood Café, Northampton

Best Local Product
Winner: Farrington’s Balsamic Dressing, Farrington Oils
Runner up: Diamond Pork Pie, Sauls of Spratton

(l-r) Owner of Holdenby House, James Lowther, Eli and Duncan Farrington of Farrington Oils, and William Sitwell, editor of Waitrose Kitchen

Best Local Drink
Winner: Fleur Fields Rosé, Fleur Fields Vineyard
Runner up: Medium Apple Juice, The Village Orchard

Booker Chef of the Year
Winner: Lee Gaskins of The Terrace Restaurant at Highgate House, Creaton
Runner-up: Hao Dang of Dang’s Vietnamese Restaurant, Northampton