The cream of the region’s Food and Drink industry celebrated excellence at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on Tuesday 19th November 2008 to find out who had won this year’s coveted Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards.
Now in its seventh year, the overall aim of the popular awards scheme continues to champion and reward quality, excellence and the innovative use of local produce and to encourage all catering and retail outlets within the region to source their supplies locally wherever possible.
Around 150 businesses and individuals from across the region attended the awards ceremony to find out which were fortunate enough to scoop an award. Awards were given for ‘Best Restaurant’, ‘Best Dining Pub’, ‘’Best International Restaurant’ ‘Best Breakfast’, ‘Best Coffee House/Tea Shop’, ‘Best Restaurant Café within a Visitor Attraction’, ‘Best Local Food or Drink Producer’, ‘Champion of Local Produce – Retailer’ ‘Champion of Local Produce – Food Service’, ‘Best Food and Drink Experience’ and ‘Excellence in Customer Service and Quality’.
Each of the winners were rewarded with a gleaming trophy and certificate and the sought-after title of best in Coventry & Warwickshire for 2008.
The 2008 winners were:
Hospitality Categories
Best Restaurant
Chapel House, Atherstone (Winner) www.chapelhouse.eu
Malbec Restaurant, Stratford-upon-Avon (Highly Commended) www.malbecrestaurant.co.uk
Tailors Restaurant, Warwick (Commended) www.tailorsrestaurant.co.uk
Best Dinning Pub/Inn
The Bluebell, Henley-in-Arden (Winner) www.bluebellhenley.co.uk
The Peacock, Oxhill (Highly Commended) www.thepeacockoxhill.co.uk
The Granville @ Barford, Barford (Commended) www.granvillebarford.co.uk
Best Breakfast
Ashton Lodge Country Hotel & Restaurant, Stretton-under-Fosse, Nr Rugby (Winner) www.ashtonlodgehotel.co.uk
Planters Restaurant, Freasley, North Warwickshire (Highly Commended) www.plantersgc.com
Glebe Farm, Ashorne (Commended) www.rarebreedsfarm.co.uk
Best Coffee House/Tea Shop
Mrs Brown’s Tea Room, Shipston-on-Stour (Winner)
Greenbean Mobile Coffee Company, Stratford-upon-Avon (Highly Commended) www.greenbeancoffee.co.uk
McKechnies Independent Tea and Coffee Bar, Stratford-upon-Avon (Commended) www.mckechnies-cafe.co.uk
Best Restaurant / Café within a Visitor Attraction
The Restaurant at Garden Organic Ryton, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Nr Rugby (Winner) www.gardenorganic.org.uk
Planters Restaurant, Freasley, North Warwickshire (Highly Commended) www.plantersgc.com
Malt Kiln Farm Shop, Stretton-under-Fosse, Nr Rugby (Commended) www.maltkilnfarmshop.co.uk
Best International Restaurant
Agra Palace, Nuneaton (Joint Winner) www.agrapalace.com
The Cellar Restaurant, Warwick (Joint Winner) www.thecellarrestaurantwarwick.co.uk
Cardamom Indian Cuisine Restaurant & Takeaway, Alcester (Commended) www.cardamomindiancuisine.com
Producer & Retailer Categories
Best Local Food or Drink Producer
The Soupery, Stoneleigh (Winner)
http://www.heff.co.uk/new_producer_detail.aspx?intPCID=10&intPID=538&intContentID=299
Harvest of Arden, Snitterfield, Nr Stratford-upon-Avon (Highly Commended) www.harvestofarden.com
19 Gales Farmhouse Foods, Bentley, Nr Atherstone (Commended) www.19gales.co.uk
Champion of Local Produce – Retailer
Taste of the Country, Shipston-on-Stour (Winner) www.tasteofthecountry.co.uk
Malt Kiln Farm Shop, Stretton-under-Fosse, Nr Rugby (HIghly Commended) www.maltkilnfarmshop.co.uk
19 Gales Farmhouse Foods, Atherstone (Commended) www.19gales.co.uk
Judges Commendations
Champion of Local Produce – Food Service
Ashton Lodge Country Hotel & Restaurant, Stretton-under-Fosse, Nr Rugby (Winner)
www.ashtonlodgehotel.co.uk
Best Food and Drink Experience
Chapel House, Atherstone (Winner) www.chapelhouse.eu
Champion of Quality and Customer Service
Astrid Le Goff, Malbec Restaurant, Stratford-upon-Avon (Winner) www.malbecrestaurant.co.uk
