New venue revealed for Food Drink Devon Awards 2018

Food Drink Devon is delighted to announce that this year their prestigious award ceremony will be held on Monday 8th October 2018 at Highbullen Hotel Golf & Country Club, Umberleigh, North Devon and will be hosted by legendary broadcaster Nigel Barden. Following 2017's record-breaking year, entries have now closed for the Food Drink Devon Awards 2018 and it looks set to be another bumper year with an increase of more than 10% in entrant numbers.

Barbara King, a proud champion of Devon’s producers and chair of the board of directors for Food Drink Devon, comments: “The awards, currently in their eighth year, celebrate the very best Devon has to offer by recognising the county’s most respected, influential and passionate artisan food and drink producers and establishments. We have been overwhelmed with this year’s response which represents a significant increase in applications on top of last year’s unprecedented numbers. The ceremony is usually a sell-out affair and it is a great opportunity for one of our members to showcase their hotel. This year we are delighted to hold the event at Highbullen Hotel Golf & Country Club, which is set in a 125 acre estate in the heart of North Devon. North Devon’s foodie credentials have gone from strength to strength in the past few years and that has been a key influence in deciding to hold our award ceremony in this part of our fabulous county. We are thrilled that Nigel has agreed to host the evening again this year. He is an ardent supporter of British producers and a huge fan of Devon’s burgeoning food and drink scene.”

The awards cover a broad spectrum of categories. The Retail Awards on offer include ‘Best Producer’, ‘Best Retailer’ and ‘Best Online Retailer’. Whilst the Hospitality sector is also acknowledged with a number of highly sought after Awards including ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’, ‘Best Hotel Restaurant’,’Best Pub Restaurant’, ‘Best Restaurant’, ‘Best Bistro’, ‘Best Café/Tearoom’ and ‘Best Pub’. Last year, to reflect the growth of some key areas within the industry, three new categories were added, 'Best Street Food', ‘Best Farmers’ Market’ and 'Best Training School'. This year we have replaced ‘Best Packaging’ with ‘Best Brand Representation’ which will judge entrants on their website, packaging, social media, brand message and values. Devon boasts so many dynamic and innovative local producers and purveyors and these Awards are the perfect opportunity to recognise their success and contributions to this vibrant industry.

Now that entries have closed, judging is being carried out by a panel of experts, which include a number of celebrated names from the industry. Entrants will have the opportunity to benefit from invaluable product feedback provided by the panel following the judging. The winners will be invited to collect their awards at the dazzling black tie ceremony at Highbullen Hotel, Golf and Country Club in October.

Kind sponsors of this year’s Awards include Stephens Scown Solicitors, Peplows Accountants, RAW Food & Drink PR, InkREADible Labels, Hedgerow Print, Black & White Asset Finance, Taste Buds Magazine and M C Kelly.

Food Drink Devon works tirelessly to increase the county’s profile, both nationally and internationally. It represents a membership of like-minded businesses, dedicated to providing good quality local food and drink. It is committed to continuously achieving its mission to become a nationally recognised brand for outstanding sustainable food and drink. Food Drink Devon’s 2018/2019 guide, which provides details of all its members, has just been published. It is a go-to reference for the best places to find and enjoy local produce in Devon.

For more information on Food Drink Devon please visit www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk and follow @fooddrinkdevon on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For further information about the Awards please contact Ali Neagle on 07789 666064 or email awards@fooddrinkdevon.co.uk.