The Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards celebrated the very best of the county’s culinary scene last night, with 100 finalists across 20 categories taking centre stage at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton.
Set against a James Bond-inspired backdrop, the Awards recognised the outstanding people and products continuing to put Northamptonshire on the food and drink map.
Sally West, Corporate Communications Manager at Weetabix, warmly welcomed everyone to the Awards, celebrating the finalists’ outstanding contributions to the sector locally, and Weetabix’s pride in supporting the businesses and growers championing sustainability and shaping the future of the county’s food and drink scene.
Nev Irani, Managing Director, Food Service at Booker, is proud to support the awards:
“At Booker, we’re proud to support and celebrate the outstanding talent, passion, and innovation that define the local food and drink industry. From farm to fork, we know how much dedication goes into creating quality, sustainable produce, and it’s fantastic that this is being recognised through these awards. Congratulations to every winner and to everyone who took part. Your commitment to excellence inspires us, and we’re honoured to be part of a community that continues to raise the bar year after year.”
British Pepper & Spice is a long-standing sponsor of the World Cuisine Restaurant category. Ian Kelland, Managing Director, commented:
“It’s been fantastic to see the exceptional quality and diversity of winners this year.
They showcase the outstanding world cuisine on offer throughout Northamptonshire, and I encourage everyone to discover and enjoy these deserving winners and across all categories.”
Tom Heygate, Director, Heygates Flour and Animal Feed Millers, added:
“Heygates Ltd are incredibly proud to again be sponsoring the Local Artisan Product Category. Our own passion for quality is very much embedded in this category and it’s wonderful to see true Northamptonshire passion shine through from all the entries.
“These awards give a wonderful insight into the talent and passion here in Northamptonshire showcasing Farm to Fork and sustainable food production.
“To everyone who enters you are all winners and should be incredibly proud.
“To win is an outstanding achievement so congratulations. To all the ‘behind the scenes’ people who give up their time to attend the various events and meetings to put it all together, thank you, without your support, sponsorship and hard work Rachel and her team wouldn’t be able to put on such an amazing event which, in turn, means the talent of Northamptonshire food and drink wouldn’t be brought to the forefront.
“Congratulations to everyone involved and please support local!”
Awards Director Rachel Mallows highlighted the vital role food and drink plays in bringing communities together, encouraging everyone in the room to celebrate and support the people and businesses behind it.
“With 100 finalists across 20 categories, this year’s awards have given us a chance to pause, reflect and celebrate the hard work, extraordinary passion and commitment that goes into Northamptonshire’s food and drink industry every day.
“We want people to know about and be proud of what’s on their doorstep in Northamptonshire and to deliberately, when they can, shop and eat local.”
The results revealed at the ceremony are as follows:
Artisan Local Drink of the Year, sponsored by Warner’s Distillery
Gold – Pinky Boots, New Lodge Vineyard
Silver – Merry Tom Wine, Merry Tom
Bronze – Mead, Queen & Co (Made by the Beekeeper)
Highly Commended – Braybrooke Keller Lager, Braybroooke Beer Co.
Highly Commended – Black Fire, Towcester Mill Brewery
Highly Commended – Caramel Latte Rum Liqueur, Wharf Distillery
Artisan Local Product of the Year, sponsored by Heygates Farming, Milling, Baking
Gold – Mead Vinegar, Queen & Co Made by the Beekeeper
Silver – Gg’s Local Cheese & Jalapeno Organic Bloomer, Gg’s Homemade Sourdough
Silver – Artisan Handcrafted Fruit-shaped Desserts, JJ Cakes
Bronze – Northamptonshire Wild Venison Sausage Royale, Northampton Charcuterie Company Ltd
Bronze – Scone & Jam ice cream, Your Cool
Bronze – The Blackcurrant & Cassis, Choccies by Sara
Artisan Local Vegetarian/Vegan Product of the Year, sponsored by SEGRO
Gold – Rustic Sourdough, Millie’s Bakery Ltd
Silver – Gg’s Olive & Homegrown Rosemay Organic Bloomer, Gg’s Homemade Sourdough
Silver – Brown Butter Salted Caramel, Choccies by Sara
Bronze – Little Howie, The Northampton Cheese Company Ltd
Bronze – Cinnamon Roll, Bakeworks Co
Bronze – Dairy-free Dark Chocolate ‘ice cream’ with a hint of Rum, Your Cool
Booker Gastro Pub of the Year, sponsored by Booker
Gold – The King’s Head, Spratton
Silver – Tollemache Arms, Harrington
Bronze – The Olde Red Lion, Kislingbury
Bronze – The Snooty Fox, Lowick
Highly Commended – The Bell, Lt Addington
Highly Commended – The Red Lion, Brafield On The Green
Booker Young Chef of the Year, sponsored by Booker
Gold – Alfie Gravett, Red Lion, Thornby
Silver – Alanzo Philander, previously The Four Pears, now Hops & Chops
Bronze – Bailey Russell, The Red Lion, Cranford
Finalist – Lewis Orton, Delapré Abbey Enterprises
Chef of the Year, sponsored by Northampton College
Gold – Ewan Weldon
Silver – Chloe Smith, Althorp Coaching Inn
Bronze – Richard Hickman, Barley and vine – The Bell, Little Addington
Highly Commended – David Baranowski, Red Lion Hotel, East Haddon
Highly Commended – Lee White, The Olde Three Cocks, Brigstock
Canape of the Year, sponsored by Portfolio Events
Gold – Mason Dickenson
Community Café of the Year, sponsored by Mary Laing
Gold – Birch Tree Café, Easton on the Hill
Silver – Glebe Farm Tearoom, Kettering
Bronze – Genevieve’s Café, Northampton
Bronze – Motte & Fig Coffee Shop & Deli, Higham Ferrers
Bronze – The Loft Café, Moulton
Bronze – Whites Kitchen, Earls Barton
Farming Environment Award, sponsored by Weetabix
Gold – Thornby Farms, Thornby
Highly Commended – J.A Knight & Sons, Walgrave
Highly Commended – Burton Fields, Hinckley
Highly Commended – Bridge House Farms, Long Buckby
Highly Commended – RI Reynolds, Toseland
F&B Achiever of the Year, sponsored by J Sweeney Accountants
Gold – Tom McManus, McManus Pub Co
Silver – Joe Buckley, The Tollemache Arms
Silver – Jack McEneaney, Althorp Coaching Inn
Bronze – Rebecca Beveridge, New Lodge Vineyard
Food and Drink College Student of the Year, sponsored by University of Northampton
Gold – Leyli Khatiri, Tresham Corby
Silver – Sophie Kelly, Northampton College
Bronze – Sophia Hills, Moulton College
Finalist – Kaiden McCreath, Northampton College
Finalist – Maddie Lindsay, Tresham Corby
Young Rising Star Award, sponsored by West Northamptonshire Council
Gold – Harriet Attfield, The Palmichael Restaurant, Burton Latimer
Gold – Yuliya Kachuryna, Legumology, Wellingborough
Silver – Harry Glissman-Hill, The Sheaf Inn, West Haddon
Bronze – Lara Turner, Heygates Flour & Animal Feed Millers
Bronze – Niamh Sinnott, The Woolpack Inn, Islip
Bronze – Georgie Cottle, The Brampton Halt, Chapel Brampton
Healthy Food & Wellbeing – Workplace Award, sponsored by Wellbeing Service, West Northamptonshire Council
Gold – Northampton General Hospital
Silver – Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Ltd
Bronze – Wellingborough School
Bronze – Carlsberg Britvic
Healthy Food & Wellbeing – Producer Award, sponsored by Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust and Eat Curious
Gold – Houghton Hams Limited
Silver – Yummy Grains
Silver – Daylight Veggie Patch
Bronze – Daily Bread
Local Food Hero of the Year, sponsored by Howes Percival
Gold – Richard Gordon & Sonya Harvey, The Red Lion, Cranford
Silver – Thomas White, Origin Farm Shop, Rushton
Silver – Danny Webster, Webster Events
Bronze – Lorraine Hirst & Kathleen Tanoh, Grow Cook Eat
One to Watch, sponsored by Whitworth Bros. Ltd Flour Millers
Gold – Louise Ely, Bakeworks Co.
Silver – Mark Rodgers, The Cheese Place (Cheeseon Towcest)
Silver – Mary McGrath, Wild Grain & Co
Bronze – Lee White, The Olde Three Cocks
Bronze – Emmi Shaw, Bella Cucina at Burton Latimer
Bronze – Matt Skidmore, Althorp Coaching Inn
Outstanding Contribution to Food & Drink, sponsored by All Things Business
Dave Collins, Collins Fresh Produce
Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Ltd
Gold – Hibiscus Fine Dining
Gold – The Cedar Restaurant at Fawsley Hall
Silver – Nuovo
Silver – The Hopping Hare, Duston
Bronze – Staci’s Italian, Rothwell
Bronze – The Gallery at Escapade Silverstone
Highly Commended – Curious Kitchen, Kettering Park Hotel
Highly Commended – Lola’s, Northampton
Weetabix Sustainability Award, sponsored by Weetabix
Gold – The Phoenix Resource Centre
Silver – Jute Coffee Ltd
Silver – Greedy Gordons
Bronze – Bella Barista
Bronze – Windmill Orchards
World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by British Pepper & Spice
Gold – Truva Lounge Cocktail Bar, Towcester
Silver – The Raj, Kettering
Bronze – Irmak Northampton Ltd
Bronze – Taste of India, Rothwell
Bronze – The Spice Lounge, Higham Ferrers
Highly Commended – Saffron Fine Indian Dining, Brackley
Highly Commended – The Royal Bengal, Kettering
Commended – Sakura Sushi Ltd., Northampton
Honouring the extraordinary talent in the room, Gold award winners were delighted to receive their awards.
Bart Polinski, Executive Chef at Delapré Abbey, commented:
“It’s amazing to win Restaurant of the Year. It’s recognition for the Hibiscus team and makes all the hours we put in worthwhile – the produce we grow, and the amazing work of the gardeners, kitchen and restaurant teams.
Amanda Polinksi, Deputy Chief Executive at Delapré Abbey added:
“This is such an incredible event for everyone in the room. All the organisations are supporting each other and just trying to lift each other up in one of the toughest industries.”
Danny Moian and the team at Fawsley Hall were thrilled to be named joint Gold winners in the Restaurant of the Year category. Danny commented:
“What an amazing accolade. Fawsley Hall is 500 years old, but the building and the guest experience are really all about the people. This award is for our brilliant kitchen and restaurant teams.”
Also grateful for the recognition, Rebecca Beveridge of New Lodge Vineyard won Gold in both the Artisan Local Drink and Artisan Local Product categories. Rebecca said:
“I’m just thrilled. I think my mother would be thrilled too. We’re delighted to be taking home Gold awards for our Pinky Boots wine and Queen & Co Made by the Beekeeper Mead Vinegar. We’re proud to champion the county, fly the flag for British food and showcase the best that can be done with what we have in our local terroir.”
Weetabix Sustainability Gold Award winner Andrew Richardson, CEO and Founding Trustee of The Phoenix Resource Centre, added:
“We really didn’t expect to win; we were just so pleased to be a finalist. This is incredible for the trustees, volunteers and whole team. To be recognised at such famous, prestigious awards in our home town feels surreal and wonderful.”
For more information about the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2026/27 and how to get involved in 2027/2028, please visit www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk.
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