The Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards is a true celebration of what the county has to offer – and the fifteenth annual ceremony was no exception.
Hundreds gathered at the Royal & Derngate on Wednesday evening (November 1) and the spirit was high from start to finish.
After scooping the top spot in their award categories, the gold winners took the time to speak to this newspaper.
Here is what they all had to say moments after learning of their newest prestigious accolades – and it is fair to say everyone was more than pleased.
17. Canapé of the Year – Kamil Podgórski
Kamil, who was actually part of the team cooking the three-course meal for the award guests, said: “It feels great, it’s a very interesting design that I managed to win with. I’m very proud of it.” Kamil made a scone with raspberry chutney, and mint paste, parmesan crisp and a mint leaf on top. At the age of 17, Kamil is already multi-award-winning and said: “I’m grabbing the awards as they come. It’s been amazing.” The plan moving forward is further study and work experience, with the end goal of working in a Michelin star restaurant. Photo: Kirsty Edmonds
18. Booker Gastro Pub of the Year – The Tollemache Arms
Joe Buckley, following his second award win of the evening, said: “The team are ecstatic, we’re all ecstatic. It’s something we’ve highlighted and wanted to win from the start of the year, and probably going back six or seven years it’s something we’ve wanted to achieve. The places that have won it, we’ve really looked up to and looked at as inspiration. For us to go away with the gold is amazing and we’ll take it back to the whole team and wider audience, and really celebrate over the next couple of weeks.” Having won bronze and silver in previous years, The Tollemache Arms team was ecstatic with the outcome. Photo: Kirsty Edmonds
19. Restaurant of the Year – The Palmichael
Head chef and owner Michael Palmiero, joined by his sister and fellow owner Maria Walker, shared: “We’re ecstatic, it feels amazing. All the passion we put in every single day has paid off in the end. We really do work so hard and it is amazing. It’s a shock to win it but we really appreciate these awards. We’re a small business, a family business. It really does mean so much to us.” Photo: Kirsty Edmonds
20. World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year – June Plum
“We’re so excited,” said owner and chef Jodi Jenny. “We’ve got silver the past two years and now we’ve got the gold – onto restaurant of the year next year. We had a major change. We’ve changed our menu and the way we serve food, in more of a tapas style. We’ve had a huge team change as well. It’s been a hard year but definitely worth it now. You start to get inside your own head and graft all the time. You don’t necessarily see the fruits of your labour. To be here amongst everyone else, who are so supportive, it’s amazing.” Photo: Kirsty Edmonds