Search is on for entries to 2010 deliciouslyorkshire awards

17/06/2010

The search is on for Yorkshire and Humber’s very best food and drink with the launch today of the sixth annual deliciouslyorkshire awards. The awards recognise and celebrate the elite of the region’s food and drink, showcase fantastic produce and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the sector within the region.

New additions to this year’s programme include a new Export Award, honouring the best example of a company which is embracing global export markets, and a more interactive online element. The awards, considered an important recognition for food and drink companies, receive a huge number of entries from producers, hotels, manufacturers and farmshops around the region.

The 2009 deliciouslyorkshire award winners.

This year there are nineteen award categories recognising among others, farmshops, meat, poultry and game producers, the most outstanding newcomer and the overall supreme product of 2010. Judging is by an independent panel comprising celebrity and award winning chefs and producers, chaired by renowned food writer and former chef Elaine Lemm and will take place in August.

6 August is the deadline for entry into the awards which continue to grow year-on-year as companies increasingly recognise the benefits of awards and past winners continue to reap the benefits of receiving one. A recent study by the University of Leicester showed that award-winning companies enjoyed an improved financial performance after just one year of winning their first award – and after three years, the benefits were even greater.

Many previous winners have greatly benefited from their award-win, including Stephen Knox, Managing Director at Yorkshire Dales Meat Company. Stephen says: “Winning a deliciouslyorkshire award last year certainly helped improve our business. We proudly display our award-winning logo on our sausages and burgers sold in Morrison’s and Asda. Our sales have increased dramatically in the last year, and we have taken on three new staff members, with two more joining us soon.”

This year the people of Yorkshire and Humber will be able to get more involved, with up to the minute information released first on Twitter and the chance to be part of the judging process.

Comments deliciouslyorkshire judge and Radio Two foodie, Nigel Barden: “Yorkshire is now home to a host of Michelin starred restaurants and their maestro chefs, but of course they couldn’t operate without magnificent ingredients from the region. We are lucky enough to enjoy such produce on a daily basis from retailers throughout Britain. The deliciouslyorkshire awards are a guarantee of the finest of quality, having been tasted by a host of judges during their journey to the winners’ podium.”   

deliciouslyorkshire Chief Executive Jonathan Knight says: “We have been successfully running these awards for six years now. Our winners have gone on to achieve great things and consider the accolade a real stamp of approval for quality regional produce.

“For the first time this year, we are enabling award hopefuls and the public to engage with the process, from utilising discussion platforms on social media, to entering online and winning the chance to be a judge for a day - a fantastic opportunity to get a real insight into what constitutes a great regional product and the thought-process behind choosing a winner. This will be a really exciting year for us.”

deliciouslyorkshire is the Regional Food Group’s campaigning brand which aims to increase awareness of the fantastic range of food and drink from Yorkshire and Humber. The brand can only be used by companies producing food and drink within the region and enables consumers to source produce of local provenance at-a-glance.

Entry is open exclusively to deliciouslyorkshire members and the winners will be revealed at the prestigious deliciouslyorkshire annual awards dinner on Monday 8 November at Rudding Park, Harrogate.

Deadline for entries is 6 August and the awards can be entered at www.deliciouslyorkshire.co.uk/awards.