Four businesses from the area will be going head to head with other food and drink producers at this year’s East Yorkshire Local Food Network and Beverley Food Festival Awards.
Hunmanby’s Wold Top Brewery, Thixendale-based Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil, and Driffield businesses T.Soanes & Son and The Yorkshire Wagyu Company beat off competition from over 120 entrants to make the final shortlist in the food awards.
This will be the third awards ceremony the East Yorkshire Local Food Network has hosted conjointly with Beverley Food Festival since the two organisations joined forces in 2014.
Wold Top Brewery’s dark ale, Shepherd’s Watch, is the only alcoholic drink to have been selected in the final three in the Best Drink category. Brewery manager, Alex Balchin said: “We’re delighted to be up against some of the best drink producers in our region. We believe in using the best ingredients from our farm to make ales that truly show off the best the region has to offer.”
Meanwhile, Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing and Yorkshire Hollandaise from Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil have been shortlisted in the Miscellaneous category.
“Everyone at Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil is really excited that we have two products in the finals,” said Marketing Manager, Jennie Palmer.
“We’re thrilled because these are a couple of the newest additions to our product range.
Other East Yorkshire businesses include T.Soanes & Son, whose poultry products feature on menus in the region’s top restaurants including The Westwood Restaurant in Beverley, as well as being stocked in top-end butchers in London. Their Chicken Supremes have made into the Best Meat/Fish Product category with just two others businesses.
This nomination is a special achievement for the business while the team is exploring options for growth, according to sales manager Tom Kingston. “It is Soanes Poultry’s desire to have our chicken in every outlet in the East Riding. Success in the local food awards would help us in achieving that goal. There can be no greater recommendation for a local food product than to win a local food competition voted for by local people.”
Another finalist in the same category is The Yorkshire Wagyu Company, launched by farmers Jim Bloom and Jonathan Shepherd, who are also in the running for Best Savoury Baked Product with their Subtly Spiced Mince Wagyu Pie. Jonathan said they’re pleased to be shortlisted twice in the awards as a showcase of the region’s best produce.
“As a Wagyu producer we work hard to be recognised as one of the best in the country so for our ribeye steak and mince Wagyu pie to be nominated in two separate categories really makes our efforts worthwhile. I think we can all look forward to a great awards evening.”
Products entered into the awards were blind taste-tested by a panel of six impartial judges comprised of food experts, a radio producer and members of Beverley Town Council.
Chair of the East Yorkshire Local Food Network and Beverley Food Festival Awards Committee Gill Mellor said: “We have a huge range of top-quality food producers and businesses that make East Yorkshire an up-and-coming region for the food and drink industry, and the quality of the entrants in this year’s awards has been impressive.
“These awards recognise and celebrate the people and the businesses that work so hard to make outstanding products and those who work to share the best of East Yorkshire’s culinary offerings. The judges had a hard job deciding which businesses to take through so we’d like to congratulate everyone who made it onto the shortlist.”
Finalists in the 14 categories spanning across food and drink, hospitality and retail will find out whether they have won during the awards evening, to be held at Beverley Tickton Grange on Thursday 22nd September.
BBC Radio Humberside broadcaster Phil White will host the event while Tickton Grange food and beverage executive and local food champion David Nowell and his team will serve a supper from a menu designed to showcase the best of local produce.