News from WhitCo
The Folly Inn at Towcester took the Restaurant of the Year Award at the ninth annual Carlsberg Food and Drink Awards dinner in Northampton on Wednesday. The Folly took the award, sponsored by Whitco, ahead of runners-up and previous winners The Tap & Kitchen in Oundle.
Whitco’s Vita Whitaker said; “The standard of food and drink continues to rise in our county and the awards play a great role in driving the improvements. Northamptonshire has an impressive and growing reputation for the quality of its hospitality industry.”
The Folly is a traditional thatched inn with parts of the building dating back to the seventeenth century. Head chef David Horak sources local ingredients where possible and uses them in imaginative dishes based on great British classics with a contemporary twist.
Sadly absent from the proceedings was Antonio Carluccio OBE who passed away just a week before being due to follow in the footsteps of chefs Marcus Wareing, Jason Atherton and Michel Roux OBE as the evening’s special guest.
It was therefore appropriate that the event began with a toast to the man known as the ‘Godfather of Italian cooking’ led by food journalist William Sitwell before the formal welcome from Awards Director, Rachel Mallows.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
Artisan Local Drink of the Year
- Triple ‘F’ Pure Apple Juice – Floyers’ Fruit Farm, Flore
New Local Drink of the Year
- Burnt Ox Blood – Nobby’s Brewing Company, Thrapston
Artisan Local Savoury Product of the Year
- Northamptonshire Blue – Hamm Tun Fine Foods, Hannington
Artisan Local Sweet Product of the Year
- Honey, Lemon and Ginger Marmalade – Nature’s Fayre, Thrapston
One To Watch
- Ganders Goat, Cottingham & Towcester Mill Brewery, Towcester
Farming Innovation Award
- Mee Farmers, Nassington
Healthy Eating Workplace of the Year
- Weatherbys Ltd, Wellingborough
Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year
- Workbridge Coffee Shop, Northampton
Spice Restaurant of the Year
- The Exotic Dining, Kettering
Restaurant of the Year
- The Folly, Towcester
Booker Food Pub of the Year
- The Hopping Hare, Northampton
Great Service Award
- The Folly, Towcester
Chef of the Year
- Richard Walker – Fawsley Hall Hotel, Fawsley
Booker Young Chef of the Year
- Winner: Victoria Austin – Highgate House, Creaton
Community Pub of the Year
- The Dukes Arms, Woodford
Weetabix Local Food Hero of the Year
- Steve Reid of Friars Farm, Northampton
F&B Achiever of the Year
- Tom Warner and Christina Warner-Keogh – Warner Edwards, Harrington
Chairman’s Award
- Alaric Neville – Phipps NBC, Northampton