GEARING UP FOR AWARDS SEASON
Taken from this month’s Cotswold Life magazine
Here are some of my past awards highlights:
The Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards take place on 7th October – here’s why they are so important to our local producers
It’s only when you don’t have something that you miss it - and that’s exactly how we feel about the Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards. With a ‘fallow’ year last year, and a Covid-interrupted hiatus, it’s fantastic news that the awards are back again this October, bigger and better than ever.
As headline sponsor for over a decade, Warner’s has always been passionate about championing local producers. We recognise the fact that awards, love them or loathe them, are a key ingredient in helping local producers reach new heights and new markets.
If I look back over the last decade as headline sponsor of the awards, it’s so heartening to see so many of the local producers we work with being nominated and even winning categories. Many of those producers have been with us since we started out at Warner’s almost 15 years ago.
Back then, we were quite unique in our unwavering conviction about the value of local produce. We may have been very green at the time, but some of those early relationships we formed have matured into something incredibly special today.
The Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards are about celebrating outstanding local brands - and this includes new and upcoming ones too. Because the finalists are nominated by the public, they are already quality-tested - but remember, an award can only do so much – it’s up to us to then support our local producers, whether they are award-winning or not. Because it’s only when you lose something, that you’ll miss it!
Hayles Fruit Farm: the Harrell family have been with us from the beginning and are now one of our longest-standing local producers. In the early days, it was Hayles Fruit Farm strawberries that were our selling point – they even grew extra fruit specially for Warner’s stores. Today, Hayles Fruit Farm has grown into a food and drink destination in its own right. And with a thriving business in single variety apple juice and award-winning cider, the family was a well-deserved Best Drink Producer of the Year winner in the 2022 awards.
Cotswold Gold: when a university student happens upon a ground-breaking idea, and that turns that idea into reality, you can’t help but smile. That’s exactly what Charlie Beldam did in creating his award-winning extra virgin, cold pressed rapeseed oil. Well ahead of the curve, Charlie realised the benefits of producing rapeseed oil as a home-grown rival to olive oil – and it didn’t take long to convince top chefs and leading establishments of his creation. But it is Cotswold Gold’s quality as well as its popularity that secured it the Best Product of the Year award in 2022.
The Craft Drink Co: like many of the best ideas, Richard Chamberlain’s idea was simple – to make enjoying great craft drinks easy. After managing local food and drink shops, he wanted to do something bigger for the local producers he had come to know, an ethos that we share at Warner’s. At Warner’s in Upton-upon-Severn, we stock over 35 local drinks brands represented by The Craft Drink Co, which means a fantastic reach for these producers. That’s why we were delighted when The Craft Drink Co were awarded Best Local Supplier/Producer in 2018.
Cotswold Pudding Co: another long-standing Warner’s supplier, we first started working with Karen Leggett of Cotswold Pudding Co when I stumbled upon her indulgent sticky puddings. That quickly followed with the salted caramel sauce which became a staple in the Warner’s household! With a core range of sticky puddings and an outstanding gluten-free range, Karen was a worthy recipient of the Food Product of the Year in 2017 and 2019.
The Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards take place on 7th October.