Do you know a Northamptonshire food and drink star? Entries are now open for the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards 2025/26.
Back for another year of the county’s finest food, drink, people, places and hospitality, the awards are looking for the stars that make Northamptonshire a destination of choice for foodies.
As support for local independent businesses becomes more vital than ever, these annual awards proudly celebrate those food and drink stars that keep the county’s culinary scene thriving.
With incredible sponsors and 19 exciting categories, the 2025/26 culinary awards toast the passion, talent and resilience of the county’s hospitality community. From celebrated chefs and restaurants to standout students and local producers, the awards put Northamptonshire’s food and drink stars in the spotlight.
Headline sponsor Weetabix proudly returns, joined by an outstanding line up of category sponsors, including All Things Business, British Pepper & Spice Co. Ltd, Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, Greedy Gordons, Heygates Flour & Animal Feed Millers, Howes Percival, J Sweeney Accountants, Portfolio Events, West Northamptonshire Council Public Health, University of Northampton, Whitworth Bros. Ltd, Wharf Distillery and Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Limited.
Stuart Branch, Group People and Technology Director at Weetabix said “I cannot believe that it’s already been six years since we proudly became the headline sponsor of the awards, that pride continues to grow as we become more and more familiar with the efforts of the people and businesses that go into making Northamptonshire a county to be reckoned with.
“We continue to help in a small way where we can, judging categories, attending events and providing mentors where possible, but we are super conscious that this is a very small contribution compared to the endless hard work, passion and constant striving for better, that the vast range of people and organisations contribute and that the Weetabix, Northamptonshire Food & Drinks awards celebrate.”
Full details of the seventeenth competition were shared by Awards Director Rachel Mallows MBE DL, at the launch in March at The Lane, Northampton College.
Rachel reflected on the incredible impact of coming together and celebrating the sector’s innovations, successes and achievements.
“We are once again proudly on the search for Northamptonshire’s food and drink stars, and looking forward to seeing a brilliant, broad range of nominations and entries. Feedback from finalists and Gold award winners reinforces the power of having the awards’ logo on your website, in your window and on your menu or receipts, to help build reputation, encourage and celebrate staff and generate more sales.
“At the end of the day that is what the competition is all about supporting our food and drink community to flourish. Because this is a community of star producers sharing insights, eateries buying local, organisations working with food and drink to promote health and wellbeing, demonstrate sustainability, and showcase innovation.
“It is about building businesses, creating jobs and supporting the economy of our county. It is also about the sense of community we have, and our ambition to make food and drink a key attraction, not only for us, but also for visitors to the county.”
David George, Director of Operations at the Hopping Hare, reflected on the sense of accomplishment that is associated with winning.
“Winning the Gold award for Restaurant of the Year in 2024 was a fantastic achievement for the team at The Hopping Hare, recognising their dedication to providing excellent quality food at a great price, paired with top-tier customer service.
“These prestigious annual awards are highly anticipated by the local community, and the brilliant publicity brings a wave of new customers through the door.”
For more details including categories, entry and nomination forms, visit the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards website or call the team on 01933 664437.
You can also follow the awards on Facebook at @foodawards or X and Instagram at @foodawardsHQ or LinkedIn at @weetabixnfadawards
