We are always on the look out for the best British food and drink, and our Local and Regional Sourcing Initiative now includes over 1200 fantastic products - available at stores in their locality. For six years, until now, we have also run our Waitrose Small Producers Awards, and the truly great products we have savoured are a testament to the talent, vision and flair of hundreds of food producers across our country.
To widen our search for the top British food and drink talent, we have this year joined forces with Country Living Magazine, to launch the Made in Britain Awards. We want to reward those companies that really stand out from the rest - producing the finest British fare, using traditional skills, innovative production and an emphasis on true quality.
The entry deadline for the Made in Britain Awards has now passed
In the coming months, the panel of judges from Waitrose and Country Living Magazine will be working to decide who should be awarded the prestigious title of Made in Britain Food Champion of the Year. The response has been fantastic, and we have now begun the task of finding the very best producers, making the very best products.
Five Made in Britain Food Producers of the Year will be selected from our finalists. Each will win £5,000 to develop their business, and a guarantee from Waitrose to stock their product, which will also be on display at the Country Living Christmas Fair 2008. The overall Made in Britain Food Champion of the Year will be chosen from these winners, and will receive an additional £5,000. All winners and finalists will also be featured in a special booklet, free with the October 2008 issue of Country Living Magazine.
Check back to this page in the months ahead, to find out how the Awards are going.
The Farmers Guardian Award for the Best Farm Entrepreneur:
Continuing our Fair Trade for British Farmers partnership with Farmers Guardian, the weekly agricultural newspaper, a special award will be given to the Best Farm Entrepreneur.
Farmers Guardian have been calling for entries from farmers of all ages with real entrepreneurial spirit, who can demonstrate they have taken real and positive steps to drive their food production business forward.
Entry to the Farmers Guardian Award is now also closed, but you can find further
details on the Farmers Guardian website