Country Living and Waitrose Made in Britain Awards 2009

Britain is home to some of the best examples of food and drink in the world. Waitrose has long championed the British producer, celebrating the small family ventures, locally produced specialities and traditional cooking techniques handed down through the generations.

We are always on the look out for the best British food and drink. Our Local and Regional Sourcing Initiative now includes over 1700 fantastic products, including fruit, vegetables, bacon, sausages, ice cream, wines, cheeses and honey.

For the second year running, we have teamed up with Country Living magazine for the Made in Britain Awards. This celebration of Britain's best small producers helps us reward truly great products that stand out from the rest, building innovative twists on traditional techniques and creating the heritage foods of tomorrow.

The winners of the Made in Britain Award 2009:

"Variety really is the spice of life, and having sampled the produce from this year's finalists, I can see it is alive and well in the food culture of our islands. Among other things, I’ve tasted delicious farmed halibut from the Hebrides, an entirely new blue cheese from County Durham, sensational bread from Hay-on-Wye, mouth-watering pâté from the highlands and sublime salami from Monmouthshire in Wales."

"The entries were diverse but the best had one thing in common: they were made with a passion for good food - something we truly appreciate at Waitrose. We’re thrilled to have been involved with the Made in Britain Awards, as it offers a great opportunity for us to support small food businesses from around the country."

Mark Price, Managing Director, Waitrose

Made in Britain Food Producer of the Year

Gigha halibut (Isle of Gigha, Argyll)
Based in the Hebrides, Alastair’s passion and unique production environment were key elements for Alastair becoming the Made in Britain Food Champion of the Year award. They are harvested when they are three years old which results in a good combination firm flesh, delicate textures and distinct flavours. Gigha Halibut was also nominated as a Made in Britain Food Producer of the Year.

Waitrose is delighted to be stocking Gigha Halibut in over 70 branches across the country (see below), including Glasgow, where the new branch opened on 12th November 2009.

www.gighahalibut.co.uk (this link will open in a new window)

Check availability by using our Branch Finder.

Made in Britain Food Producers of the Year

Alex Gooch’s Organics (Hay-on-Wye)
This organic apple, pumpkin seed, rye and sourdough loaf is produced in Hay-on-Wye in Wales by Alex Gooch. He uses his own starter culture instead of yeast, alongside the high quality organic ingredients which helps to give the bread its lightness, which is reflected in the award winning taste.

Trealy Farm Charcuterie (Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire)
Trealy provides a good example of how good salami should be made. They use first class ingredients, age old techniques, and 21st century innovation provides a first class product. The award winning salami is made from the Gloucester old spot pig.
www.trealyfarm.com (this link will open in a new window)

The Durham Cow Cheese Company (Hutton Henry, Co Durham)
Julia Cammiss produces a soft blue cheese known as Durham Blue. Made using locally sourced milk, Durham Blue is a mild, mellow, moreish cheese which can be enjoyed on its own or as an ingredient in a range of dishes.

www.durham-cow-cheese-company.com (this link will open in a new window)

Cairngorm Smokehouse (Alvie Estate, Kincraig, Inverness-shire)
Heather and Craig only opened their smokehouse earlier this year, but they are already producing award winning products. Two Scottish ingredients - roast smoked organic brown trout and crowdie cheese, are potted together to make this delicious pâté.

Made in Britain finalists:

The following links open in a new window

Wood Berry Farm (Wicklewood, Norfolk)
www.woodberryfarm.co.uk

Simple Simon’s Perfect Pies (Coulter, Lanarkshire)
www.simplesimonspies.co.uk

The Orchard Pig (West Bradley, Somerset)
www.orchardpig.co.uk

The Real Veal Company (Lanreath, Cornwall)
www.bocaddonfarmveal.com/default.aspx

Chef on the Run Foods (Hay-on-Wye, Powys)
www.chefontherunfoods.co.uk

Clare’s Organics (Easton Hastings, Oxfordshire)
www.claresorganics.co.uk

Bramley and Gage (Thornbury, Gloucestershire)
www.bramleyandgage.co.uk

Farmers Guardian, the national newspaper of the agricultural community, offered a special prize in the Made in Britain Awards for farmers who have added value to their business.

The 2009 Farmers Guardian Best Farm Entrepreneur is:

Yorvale (Acaste Malbis, North Yorkshire)
Yorvale ice cream is made on a small family farm in Yorkshire. Milk from the farm’s dairy herd is combined with locally sourced double cream to create a range of delicious ice creams. Ian Buxton and wife Lesley have developed the range comprising of 25 ice cream flavours and 10 sorbets.
www.yorvale.co.uk (this link will open in a new window)

The finalists for the Farmer Guardian award for best farm entreprenuer were:

The following links open in a new window

Cothi Valley Goats - Landeilo, Camarthenshire
www.goats-cheese-online.co.uk

Stark Naked Foods - Eye, Suffolk
www.starknakedfoods.co.uk

Anna’s Happy Trotters - Howden, East Yorkshire
www.annashappytrotters.com