The votes for the 2015 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards are in and have been counted.
24 eateries, pubs, bars and venues have been shortlisted across 10 categories in the popular awards which are organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with Chesterfield College, who are headline sponsor and host of the awards for the third year running.
The shortlisted establishments were selected from hundreds of nominations received by the competition organisers Destination Chesterfield.
This year also sees the introduction of a brand new category – Conference Venue of the Year – and also 11 new contenders for the awards, including Tickled Trout, Batemans Mill, Chesters, Little Castle, H&F Tea Rooms, Libby’s, Four One Three, Coffee St, Qoozies, Three Cottages and the Proact Stadium.
A secret panel of judges is now set to visit the shortlisted establishment in order to decide the winner of each category which will be announced in October by award winning restaurateur Theo Randall, who is a familiar face on prime time TV.
As well as the winners of the nine categories, Theo will be announcing the winners of three additional categories – Food Producer of the Year, Young Chef of the Year and Food Hero - at the glittering award ceremony being held on Wednesday 28 October at Chesterfield College's Heart Space Building.
Vice Chair of Destination Chesterfield Cllr Amanda Serjeant said: “The success of the Food and Drink awards is all down to the general public and, once again, they haven’t let us down voting in their droves for their favourite food and drink establishments.”
“The awards are recognition of the contribution Chesterfield’s thriving hospitality industry makes to the local economy. Restaurants, cafes and bars are an important part of Chesterfield’s future leisure offering and are integral part of our recently launched Town Centre Masterplan.”
The shortlisted establishments in each category are:
Restaurant of the Year - sponsored by Chesterfield Borough Council
Café/Tea Room of the Year - sponsored by Kier
Gastro Pub of the Year - sponsored by Chesterfield College
Pub / Bar of the Year – Sponsored by Hooper’s
Best Newcomer - sponsored by Barber Harrison and Platt
Best Customer Service - sponsored by East Midlands Chamber of Commerce
Best Out of Town
Best International Restaurant of the Year - sponsored by MSE Hiller
Family Friendly Award - sponsored by Jumble Design
Conference Venue of the Year – sponsored by Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers
Other supporters of the awards include the Derbyshire Times, Peak FM, Franke Sissons, Holdsworth Foods, Banner Jones, the Crooked Spire Church, Black Eyed Susan and Reflections.
A limited number of sponsorship opportunities still remain. If any businesses are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2015 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards they should contact Dominic Stevens on 01246 207207 or email dom.stevens@chesterfield.co.uk
