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Finalists announced for Radio 4 Food And Farming Awards 2008
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A Scottish takeaway inspired by the flavours of South East Asia, an artisan baker whose oven is fuelled by his sustainable woodland, a fisherman who fries his own catch at his chippie, and a farmer who started her career as a plant scientist, are just a few of the talented finalists in this year's BBC Radio 4 Food And Farming Awards.
Described by Jamie Oliver as the "Oscars of the food world", the awards were created in 2000 to celebrate the people and organisations that produce and promote the best of British food.
The awards, nominated by listeners, set out to find the Best Local Food Retailer; Best Take-Away; Farmer of The Year; Best Dinner Lady or Man; Best Food Producer; Best Retail Initiative; Best Food Market and the Derek Cooper Award.
The awards also feature the BBC Food Personality of the Year, awarded in previous years to Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and James Martin.
Chair of judges Angela Hartnett says: "This is a really inspirational group of finalists and what's so important about the awards is that, for many of them, making it on to this list will be the first time they've had their work recognised.
"When you hear their stories it makes you appreciate the impact dinner ladies, producers, cooks and retailers all over the country are having on the food we eat."
The awards will take place on the evening of Wednesday 26 November at the Birmingham NEC, hosted by Sheila Dillon, presenter of The Food Programme.
The BBC Food Personality of the Year will also be announced at the event.
The finalists for this year's awards are:
Best Local Food Retailer
Appleton Community Shop, Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Conrad Davies, Spar Store, Pwllheli, Wales
Goldy's Farm Shop, Lytchett Matravers, Dorset
Unicorn Grocery, Chorlton, Manchester
Best Food Market
Bury Market, Bury
Queens Market, Newham, London
Stroud Farmers' Market, Stroud
Best Take-away
Adam's Fish & Chips, St Martin's, Isles of Scilly
Cherry and Heather, Cessnock, Glasgow
Fal Falafel, Falmouth, Cornwall
Farmer of the Year
Horstead Farming Group, Broadland, Norfolk
Mary Mead, Holt Farms Ltd, Blagdon, Somerset
Wendy Seel, Aberdeenshire
Best Food Producer
Calon Wen, Whitland, Carmarthenshire
Side Oven Bakery, Driffield, Yorkshire
Richard Vaughan, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire
Best Dinner Lady or Man
Nick Copson, Teesdale School, County Durham
Dolly Thorne, Bitterne Park School, Southampton
Dave Egerton-Read, Vestas Blades staff restaurant, Isle of Wight
Derek Cooper Award
Geoff Tansey, writer and consultant on sustainable food systems
Felicity Lawrence, investigative journalist specialising in food issues
The Soil Association
Best Retail Initiative
British Elmwood Chicken, Co-operative Food, Manchester, a scheme to improve welfare for chickens
Mey Selections, Caithness, sourcing produce from within 100 miles of the Castle of Mey
Plumgarths Farm Shop, Kendal, Cumbria, a hub for produce within The Lake District National Park
The awards ceremony will be broadcast on Radio 4's The Food Programme soon after the event.
Notes to Editors
The finalists will also be featured on Farming Today and BBC Local Radio.
The Food Programme is on Radio 4 every Sunday at 12.30pm and repeated on Mondays at 4.00pm.
Farming Today is on Radio 4 every weekday morning at 5.45am and on Saturdays at 6.35am.
You can listen again online at bbc.co.uk/radio4
The panel of judges and their categories:
Angela Hartnett (Chair of Judges), Michelin starred chef (Best Food Producer);
Sheila Dillon, food journalist and presenter of Radio 4's The Food Programme (Best Food Producer and Derek Cooper Award);
Dr Martin Caraher, Reader in Food and Health Policy at the Centre for Food Policy, City University (Best Dinner Lady or Man, Best Retail Initiative and Derek Cooper Award);
Gillian Carter, Editor, BBC Good Food Magazine (Best Local Retailer category);
Robert Clark, retail analyst (Best Local Food Retailer, Best Retail Initiative and Farmer of The Year);
Alex James, writer, farmer and broadcaster (Farmer of The Year);
Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine, University of Surrey (Best Dinner Lady or Man and Best Take-away);
Simon Parkes, food journalist, broadcaster and former Michelin inspector (Best Food Market and Best Take-away);
Christine Tacon, General Manager of the Co-operative Farms (Best Food Market).
Steve Peacock, Editor, Radio 4's Farming Today (Farmer of The Year).
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