You can now vote for your favourite local restaurant, café, pub and local producer in the St Albans Food and Drink Festival Awards at
www.stalbansfoodanddrink.com.
A shortlist of award nominees was unveiled at the launch of the St Albans Food and Drink Festival at St Albans Town Hall on Monday 10 September. The award winners will be announced during the St Albans Food and Drink Festival which starts on 26 September with the famous CAMRA Beer Festival.
The festival is organised by St Albans City and District Council and runs for 12 days. Throughout the festival many of the pubs, restaurants and hotels in the District will be offering meal deals or holding events including tastings, workshops and cookery demonstrations.
The festival ends on 7 October with an al fresco Festival Finale on St Peter’s Street, St Albans. You will be able to sample food and drink from a range of stalls and watch cooking demonstrations in the AGA Rangemaster Cookery Theatre.
Launching the festival, the Mayor of St Albans City and District Council, Cllr Eileen Harris, said: “The festival is now in its fifth year and is a wonderful event that showcases a fantastic range of food and drink produced in St Albans District. It also highlights the District’s restaurants, bars, pubs and cafés that serve food and drink, sourced locally and from around the world.”
Councillor Beric Read, Head of Community Engagement and Localism for St Albans City and District Council, added: “There is plenty to do during the festival including a risotto making class, cocktail masterclass and a foraging walk. You can also sample menus at local eateries using the discounts available. The festival is part of the Council’s strategy to help attract more visitors to the District to support the local economy.”
A highlight of the festival is the announcement of the award-winners for the St Albans Food and Drink Festival 2012 at an awards ceremony on 4 October.
You can now vote for your favourite eateries, pubs, bars and food products from the following shortlist of nominees until 30 September at www.stalbansfoodanddrink.com:
Best Local Restaurant
Darcy’s
L’Italiana
Lussmanns
The Foragers at the Verulam Arms
The Lake at St Michael’s Manor
Veer Dhara
Best Bar
Bar 62
Mokoko
The Black Lion Inn
The Peahen
The Slug and Lettuce
The Snug Bar
Best Pub
The Blacksmiths Arms
The Boot
The Cricketers, Redbourn
The Holly Bush, Potters Crouch
White Hart Tap
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks
Best Local Café
Bakehouse St Albans
Blueberry Café, Harpenden
Inn on the Park
Secret Garden Cafe
Soko Coffee
The Abbot’s Kitchen
Most Family Friendly Venue
Bakehouse St Albans
Inn on the Park
L’Italiana
Secret Garden Cafe
The Abbot’s Kitchen
The Blue Anchor
Local Gem
Dixies Cupcakery
Heaven is a Cupcake
Jay’s Delicatessen
Sweet Lily
The Local Kitchen
The Pudding Stop
Best Local Producer
Carpenters Nursery
Childwickbury Goats Cheese
Hawkswick Lodge Farm
Hedges Farm
Redbournbury Mill
That Little Brewery, Harpenden
You can also nominate someone via the festival website for the Kate D’Arcy Award for Exceptional Customer Service.
A full list of the nominees and details of the discounts and events are available in a festival brochure available from St Albans Tourist and Information Office, St Peter’s Street, St Albans and from libraries and all participating venues.
You can also email foodanddrinkfestival@stalbans.gov.uk to join our mailing list.
Councillor contact:
Councillor Beric Read, Head of Community Engagement and Localism for St Albans City and District Council
Mob: 07956 220264
Contact for the media:
Amanda Wilkinson,
Media and Internal Communications Officer
St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 819317
E-mail: amanda.wilkinson@stalbans.gov.uk
www.stalbans.gov.uk
Notes:
The launch of the St Albans Food and Drink Awards is sponsored by Mokoko, English wine producers Nyetimber and Tring Brewery. Darcy’s restaurant provided the catering.
Photo captions
Main picture:
Launching the St Albans Food and Drink Festival (left to right): Cllr Read, Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement and Localism for St Albans City and District Council; Phil Defriez, festival organiser from CAMRA; Cllr Julian Daly, Leader of the Council and Cllr Eileen Harris, the Mayor of St Albans City and District.
Organisers and participants:
Back row (left to right): Charles Baker (St Albans City and District Council), Ruth Hurren (Darcy’s) Jenny Swatton (St Albans City and District Council), Julia Jenkins (Flagship Wines), David Rough (Hertfordshire Wine School), Roselyne Masselin (La Cuisine Imaginaire)
Front row (left to right): Andrei Lussmann (Lussmanns), Nicola King (Iain Rennie Grove House), Heather Teare (Transition St Albans), Phil Defriez (CAMRA), Jim Forward (Bakehouse St Albans)