Winner for Best British Food Blog:

Lavender and Lovage

To win an award is always fabulous news, but to win an award from one of my favourite magazines, Great British Food, and when voted by all the readers of that magazine, is extra special; so, it’s with great pride and excitement I can announce to all my readers today, that Lavender and Lovage won the Best British Food Blog award in the Great British Food Awards 2016. The Best British Food Blog was Sponsored by Debbie and Andrews, that fabulous company who produce tasty sausages in Yorkshire, and which is also another favourite brand of mine – their award-winning bangers are hearty, meaty and succulent, made the old-fashioned way using the best cuts of British pork from Red Tractor approved farms.

After an unprecedented number of entries and four months of rigorous shortlisting, testing and tasting – the results are in! Great British Food magazine is proud to reveal the winners of the Great British Food Awards, 2016. The following products and writers, reflect the exciting developments in British, artisan food, and food writing.  For more information about the magazine’s award winners, pick up the October issue of Great British Food magazine, which is out on the 2nd September, and yes, I will be featured in the magazine too! This lovely magazine promotes British food, cuisine as well as local and seasonal recipes, and is packed with interesting new recipes and culinary news every month.

So, what is a GOOD blog? A good blog, says Debbie and Andrews, encompasses memorable meals and magical moments. It should express a passion for country food or extol seasonal ingredients or champion regional, rural recipes. It might provide an insight into sourcing the best products, preparing food that can be shared generously or just show how to make simple meals magical. It may talk about communities that still celebrate the type of food and harvest heroes that Debbie and Andrew’s  micro sponsorship’s aim to support; and with those guidelines and criteria set, you can see why I am thrilled to have been chosen, as the above encapsulates all that I try to do on Lavender and Lovage!

THE AWARDS were launched in 2014 to celebrate the country’s finest home-grown ingredients, as well as the hard-working folk who produce and cook with them. This year, Great British Food magazine went even bigger and better than ever, with lots of new categories, celebrity judges and amazing prizes for everyone to win. Behind the scenes, their was a team of celebrity judges, including Valentine Warner, John Torode, Rosemary Shrager, Caroline Quentin and Edd Kimber, who were extremely busy test tasting the very best in British food and drink. All of the winners are listed below, and I hope you will raise a glass of English sparkling wine with me, to celebrate Lavender and Lovage winning the Best British Food Blog! Thank you, Karen 

PRODUCER AWARDS: RESULTS

ENGLISH WINE
Judged by chef and food writer Valentine Warner
WINNER
Hambledon Vineyard Premiere Cuvée
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Ridgeview Marksman Blanc de Blancs
Aldwick Court Farm Mary’s Rose 2015
——————-
CHARCUTERIE
Judged by chef and MasterChef star John Torode
WINNER
Moons Green Cobnut & Red Wine Saucisson
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Cwmfarm Charcuterie Products Nduja
Deli Farm Charcuterie Cornish Coppa
——————-
CONFECTIONARY
Judged by Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite
WINNER
Canesmith & Co Soy & Sesame Caramels
HIGHLY COMMENDED
DulciBella Marshmallows Really Rather Rhubarby Marshmallow
Tudor’s Luxury Pralines Roasted Caramelised Cinnamon Almonds
——————-
CHEESE
Judged by chef Nathan Outlaw
WINNER
Cropwell Bishop Creamery Beauvale
HIGHLY COMMENDED
King Stone Dairy Rollright
Village Maid Cheese Ltd Wigmore
——————-
SMOKED FISH
Judged by chef Richard Corrigan
WINNER
John Ross Jr – The Balmoral Fillet
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Real Cure Cold Smoked Piddle Trout
J Lawrie & Sons Oak Smoked Kippers
——————-
SAVOURY PRESERVE
Judged by chef Rosemary Shrager
WINNER
Cartmell Farm Foods The Original Damson Ketchup
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Bridge Lodge Wild Garlic Leaf Pesto
Scarlett & Mustard Ploughman’s Pickle
——————-
GLUTEN-FREE
Judged by Caroline Quentin, actress and patron of Coeliac UK
WINNER
Black Cat Bakery Cheesy, Potato and Bacon pasty
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Little Box Kitchen Chocolate Steamed Pudding
Essential Cuisine Savoury Gravy Mix
——————-
CRAFT BEER
Judged by drinks writer and beer sommelier Sophie Atherton
WINNER
Lawman Brewery Obsidian Imperial Stout
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Magic Rock Highwire Grapefruit IPA
Wold Top Scarborough Fair IPA
——————-
GIN
Judged by food writer Tim Hayward
WINNER

Pickering’s Original 1947 Gin

HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Lakes Distillery Gin
Isle of Wight’s Mermaid Gin
——————-
SWEET BAKING
Judged by Great British Bake Off Winner Edd Kimber
WINNER
pudd’Eng Chocolate & Ale Pudding
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Drewton’s Farm Shop Rhubarb, Elderflower & Custard Tart
Warrens Bakery Shortbread with Clotted Cream
——————-
SAVOURY PIES & PASTRIES
Judged by the GBF team
WINNER
Nice Pie Lamb Pie & Mint Pie
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Roy Hunt Produce Traditional Tatchbury Pork Pie
Croots Farm Shop Croots Derbyshire Pasty
——————-
SWEET PRESERVES
Judged by the GBF team
WINNER
Scarlett & Mustard Rhubarb and Vanilla Curd
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Roots & Wings Lusciously Rich Strawberry Jam
The Garden Pantry Strawberry Daiquiri Jam
——————-
DAIRY
Judged by the GBF team
WINNER
Bodnant Welsh Food Traditional Welsh Salted Butter
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Alder Tree Damson Fruit Cream Ice
Nell’s Dairy Guernsey Milk
——————-
SAUSAGES

Judged by the GBF team
WINNER
Porcus Simply Pork
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Friends Farm Fennel & Chilli Sausages
Cranstons Quality Butchers Thick Cumberland Sausage
——————-

READER VOTED AWARDS: RESULTS

DRINKS WRITER
WINNER
Olly Smith
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Fiona Beckett
Oliver Ward
——————-
BRITISH TELEVISION PERSONALITY
WINNER
Mary Berry
HIGHLY COMMENDED
James Martin
The Hairy Bikers
——————-
INDEPENDENT ONLINE RETAILER
WINNER
The Cheese Shed
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Donald Russell
The Cornish Fishmonger
——————-
BRITISH COOKBOOK
WINNER
Meat Feasts by The Hairy Bikers
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Everyday Superfood by Jamie Oliver
Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson
——————-
BRITISH RESTAURANT
WINNER
The Hand & Flowers, Marlow
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Kitchin, Edinburgh
Man Behind The Curtains, Leeds
——————-
BRITISH FOOD BRAND
WINNER
Kelly’s of Cornwall
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Gressingham Duck
Bettys
——————-
FOOD WRITER
WINNER
Giles Coren
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Jay Rayner
Tim Hayward
——————-
FOOD BLOG
WINNER
Lavender and Lovage, lavenderandlovage.com
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Bearded Bakery, thebeardedbakery.com
Patisserie Makes Perfect, patisseriemakesperfect.com
——————-
NEW BRITISH PRODUCT
WINNER
Hepple Gin
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Sidekick Sauces
Cotswold Distillery Espresso Martini
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN NORTH OF ENGLAND
WINNER
The Hollies Farm Shop, Cheshire
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Hunters of Helmsley, North Yorkshire
Fodder, North Yorkshire
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN MIDLANDS
WINNER
Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop, Derbyshire
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Ludlow Farm Centre, Shropshire
Becketts Farm Shop, Birmingham
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN EAST OF ENGLAND
WINNER
Goodies Food Hall, Norfolk
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Snape Maltings Food Hall, Suffolk
Gog Magog, Cambridgeshire
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN SCOTLAND
WINNER
Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Scottish Deli, Perthshire
The Store, Aberdeenshire
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN SOUTH OF ENGLAND
WINNER
The Hungry Guest, Kent and West Sussex
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Foxholes Farm Shop, Hertfordshire
Bloomfield’s Fine Foods, Swindon
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN WEST OF ENGLAND
WINNER
Padstow Farm Shop, Cornwall
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Farrington’s Farm Shop, Bristol
Darts Farm Shop, Devon
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN WALES
WINNER
Llwynhelyg Farm Shop, Ceredigion
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Home & Colonial Fine Foods, Mid-Glamorgan
Rhug Estate Farm Shop, Denbighshire
——————-
INDEPENDENT RETAILER IN NORTHERN IRELAND
WINNER
Picnic Delicatessen & Cafe, County Down
HIGHLY COMMENDED
McKees Farm Shop, County Down
Ballylagan Organic Farm, County Antrim

THANK YOU to all the readers of Great British Food who voted for me, and also all my regular readers too!

Karen