Back for its Seventeenth Year: 2025/26 Culinary Awards Seek Northamptonshire’s Food & Drink Stars!

With incredible sponsors and eighteen exciting categories, the 2025/26 culinary awards toast the passion, talent, and resilience of the county’s hospitality community. From celebrated chefs and restaurants to standout students and local producers, the awards put Northamptonshire’s food and drink stars in the spotlight.

Headline sponsor Weetabix proudly returns, joined by an outstanding line up of category sponsors, including All Things Business, British Pepper & Spice Co. Ltd, Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, Greedy Gordons, Heygates Flour & Animal Feed Millers, Howes Percival, J Sweeney Accountants, Portfolio Events, West Northamptonshire Council Public Health, University of Northampton, Whitworth Bros. Ltd, Wharf Distillery and Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Limited.

Stuart Branch, Group People and Technology Director at Weetabix said “I cannot believe that it’s already been six years since we proudly became the headline sponsor of the Awards, that pride that continues to grow as we become more and more familiar with the efforts of the people and businesses that go into making Northamptonshire a county to be reckoned with! We continue to help in a small way where we can, judging categories, attending events and providing mentors where possible, but we are super conscious that this is a very small contribution compared to the endless hard work, passion and constant striving for better, that the vast range of people and organisations contribute and that the Weetabix, Northamptonshire Food & Drinks awards celebrate.”

Full details of the seventeenth competition were shared by Awards Director, Rachel Mallows MBE DL, at the launch on March 25 at The Lane, Northampton College.

Rachel reflected on the incredible impact of coming together and celebrating the sector’s innovations, successes and achievements. “We are once again proudly on the search for Northamptonshire’s food and drink stars, and looking forward to seeing a brilliant, broad range of nominations and entries. Feedback from finalists and Gold award winners reinforces the power of having the Awards logo on your website, in your window and on your menus or receipts, to help build reputation, encourage and celebrate staff and generate more sales.

At the end of the day that is what the competition is all about – supporting our food and drink community to flourish. Because this is a community of stars – producers sharing insights, eateries buying local, organisations working with food and drink to promote health and wellbeing, demonstrate sustainability, and showcase innovation. It is about building businesses, creating jobs and supporting the economy of our county. It is also about the sense of community we have, and our ambition to make food and drink a key attraction, not only for us, but also for visitors to the county.”

Phil Martin, Curriculum Manager Culinary Arts and Travel, Northampton College and his students at the College’s Lane Restaurant hosted this year’s launch.

“We are delighted to host the launch of this year’s awards. It has been an honour to support the awards over the years, and to witness the success of so many winners. The synergy, collaboration, and resilience of producers and eateries has been truly inspiring. These awards have not only championed local produce and businesses but also opened doors to national and international recognition, firmly establishing Northamptonshire on the food map.

“Our association with the awards continues to inspire and motivate Northampton College students, offering invaluable opportunities for collaboration and competition, and platforms for future their careers.”

David George, Director of Operations at the Hopping Hare, reflected on the sense of accomplishment that is associated with winning.

“Winning the Gold award for Restaurant of the Year in 2024 was a fantastic achievement for the team at The Hopping Hare, recognising their dedication to providing excellent quality food at a great price, paired with top-tier customer service.

“These prestigious annual awards are highly anticipated by the local community, and the brilliant publicity brings a wave of new customers through the door.”

For Head Chef Joe Gould, Fawsley Hall Hotel & Spa, taking part in the awards is hugely rewarding. “Winning Gold in the Whitco Chef of the Year category was a huge privilege, especially given how strong the competition was last year. I’m truly very thankful for the support that’s got me here. The awards show just how much talent there is out there, and I’d encourage anyone with a passion for cooking to throw their hat in the ring next time — it’s a brilliant chance to shine.”

Jeeva Sanmugam, Managing Director, Classic Cuisine added;

“We were honoured and delighted to win the Gold Healthy Food Producers Award in 2024 for our Made Without range. Our strength is innovation; anticipating food trends and consumer demands. Receiving the award was a wonderful acknowledgment of our work in developing healthier options that are still an indulgent treat.”

The free-to-enter categories in this year’s awards (with their respective sponsors) are:

• Artisan Local Drink of the Year (Wharf Distillery)
• Artisan Local Product of the Year (Heygates Flour and Animal Feed Millers) Artisan Local Vegetarian / Vegan Product of the Year
• Booker Gastro Pub of the Year (Booker) Booker Young Chef of the Year (Booker) Canapé competition (Portfolio Events) Chef of the Year (Greedy Gordons)
• Community Café of the Year (West Northamptonshire Council Public Health) Farming Environment Award (Weetabix)
• F&B Achiever of the Year (J Sweeney Accountants)
• Food and Drink College Student of the Year (University of Northampton) Healthy Food and Wellbeing Award (Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust) Local Food Hero of the Year (Howes Percival)
• One To Watch (Whitworth Bros. Ltd Flour Millers)
• Outstanding Contribution to Food & Drink (All Things Business) Restaurant of the Year (Whitco Catering & Bakery Equipment Limited) 
• Weetabix Sustainability Award (Weetabix)
• World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year (British Pepper & Spice Co. Ltd)