Entries are now open for this year’s prestigious Food Drink Devon Awards, supported by 2022 platinum sponsor Partners&.
The gold standard industry accolades – which celebrate Devon’s finest food and drink – recognise the county’s most talented producers and establishments and this year will also include the new ‘Chef of the Year’ category.
The competition is open for entries until Friday, April 22, with applications welcome from Food Drink Devon members and non-members.
Greg Parsons, chair of Food Drink Devon, said: “We are delighted to be launching our 2022 Awards which are supported by our 2022 platinum sponsor Partners&.
“Partners& is an insurance advisory business with specialist knowledge in the food and beverage industry and offices across Devon. We are extremely pleased to have them on board and are looking forward to working closely with them.”
Awards include the ‘Producer Awards’ with ‘Product of the Year’ and, new for 2022, ‘Best New Product of the Year’ categories. The ‘Retail Awards’ include categories for ‘Best Retailer’ and ‘Best Online Retailer’, while the always highly sought-after hospitality section covers ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’, ‘Best Restaurant’, ‘Best Pub’, ‘Best Café or Tearoom’ and ‘Best Takeaway or Street Food’.
In addition, each entrant will have the chance to win a silver, gold or platinum award with platinum awards representing a perfect score of 100%, gold awards recognising scores of 90-99%, and silver for those scoring 85-89%.
New for 2022, the ‘Chef of the Year’ award is open to any head chef or sous chef who lives and works in Devon. Greg explained: “The past decade has seen an explosion of talented chefs in our county, driving innovation and exceptional quality and championing local produce.
“We want to provide an opportunity for these individuals to compete against their peers to claim the title of the county’s ‘Chef of the Year’. Entrants will be required to create a three course meal celebrating Devon’s finest produce.”
Greg continued: “The success of the awards over the last 11 years is a testament to the region’s passion for outstanding food and drink. Devon boasts so many dynamic and innovative local producers and purveyors.
“The Food Drink Devon Awards give us the opportunity to recognise their success and contributions to the vibrant food and drink industry. We are constantly impressed by the breadth and standard of entries.”
Lee Davey, Managing Partner at Partners&, added: “We are thrilled to be sponsoring the 2022 Food Drink Devon Awards. Partners& strives to be the best insurance advisory business in the UK and food and beverage is a key speciality area for us, so supporting these prestigious awards fits really well with our ethos.”
To enter the competition, visit www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk/awards/ or email admin@fooddrinkdevon.co.uk. For more information on Food Drink Devon visit www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk, follow @FoodDrinkDevon on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For more information on Partners& visit www.partnersand.com.
