The message from the shortlisting judges at the Community Café, Booker Dining Venue and World Cuisine Restaurant individual judging sessions recently, was clear: Northamptonshire has an amazing array of quality eateries and deserves our support! At a time when cost of living and energy price increases alongside staffing shortages in the hospitality sector are having an impact, eateries in the county are doing all they can to continue to provide a high quality offer, much appreciated by their customers.
Although the Awards celebrates those who promote the local food and drink offer, an adapted category this year looks to celebrate cafés who support their local communities or communities of people. The Community Café category is all about celebrating cafés that are not only the best for their food and drink offer, but are a stand out from the crowd venue, providing noteworthy support within their communities. This category is supported by The Good Loaf, and Suzy Van Rooyen, CEO of the Good Loaf, said
“I have been thrilled at the number of entries, the quality of their food offer and what they do for our communities.”
Finalists for the Community Café of the Year are as follows:
Aspen Café, Bosworth Garden Centre
Café 1850, Northampton
Café Track, Northampton
Johnnys Happy Place, Kettering
Saints Coffee, Northampton
The Place to Bee, Kingsthorpe
One of the Awards’ longest standing and most successful categories, Booker Dining Venue of the Year, was a particularly difficult judging decision. Rachel Mallows, Director of the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, remarked “the judges involved in the shortlisting process had a very difficult task. I set the challenge for them to identify between three and five dining venues, and they insisted on ten! Judges commented that most of the entries were in fact worthy of being a finalist. That indicates to me that the sector is working very hard to continue to provide very high standards in difficult trading times. Let’s get out to all our eateries and support them!”
Finalists for Booker Dining Venue of the Year are:
Electric Pavilion, Northampton
Ember, Wellingborough
Hibiscus, Delapre Abbey
The Folly, Towcester
Tap & Kitchen, Oundle
The Plough, Shutlanger
The Rose & Crown, Yardley Hastings
The Snooty Fox, Lowick
The Tollemarche Arms, Harrington
The Butchers Arms, Greens Norton
World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by British Pepper & Spice, was also a hotly contested shortlisting session. Five venues from around the county (with food from around the world!) were chosen from a very strong long list. Judges were impressed with the good customer service comments, mystery shopper reviews and menus.
Finalists for World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year are:
Alacati Grill, Daventry
Café Bangla, Rushden
June Plum, Wellingborough
Mewar Haveli, Northampton
Pjayz Kitchen, Northampton
The achievements and successes of Northamptonshire Food and Drinks businesses will be celebrated at the Awards Ceremony and Dinner due to be held on 12th October 2022 at the Royal & Derngate.
Meanwhile, to keep up to date with the latest news, please follow the Awards on Facebook at @foodawards or Twitter and Instagram at @foodawardsHQ or on LinkedIn at @weetabixnfadawards using the hashtag #WFDA22
