Warwickshire News Mine

The Coventry and Warwickshire Food and Drink awards dinner is to be held at Ricoh Arena in Coventry on 18 November when the winners of these highly coveted awards will be announced.

The awards, which are in their 7th year, are designed to encourage and reward quality, excellence and the innovative use of local produce, and for the first time members of the public will be able to get tickets and head along.

This year’s awards have been very successful in terms of the number and quality of entries submitted. Around 150 businesses and customers from across the region are expected to attend the dinner and find out which local businesses have been fortunate enough to scoop an award.

Cllr Chris Saint, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, said : “The Ricoh Arena has this year been chosen as the venue to host the awards due to its capacity, location and their strong local sourcing policy.

“Each year these awards become harder fought and the level just goes up and up. The decision was taken that this year the awards would be opened up to any members of the public who wished to sample just what goes on at this prestigious event.”

The evening, which will start at 7pm, will include a drinks reception. The awards presentation will take place after the three course dinner devised using a selection of regional produce.

Felan Hennigan, development chef at the Ricoh Arena, said the venue was the perfect location to host a prestigious regional food and drink competition.

“We have sourced a wide variety of local juices for the pre-event reception as well as locally produced ingredients for the menu which will be served at the Coventry and Warwickshire Food and Drink awards,” he said.

“The flexibility of our catering agreement with the Compass Group means that as much as possible we use local suppliers for the meals that we serve throughout the Ricoh Arena from the Singers Bar and Bistro to corporate functions in the Jaguar Club.

“This competition is a great opportunity as its highlighting the importances of using local ingredients and supporting the local business and enhances the final product.”

Tickets, which cost £35 per person, can be purchased by telephoning the Coventry, Stratford and Warwick Convention Bureau on 0844 477 8379. Payment methods include credit or debit card.

The Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards is organised with the support of representatives from North Warwickshire Borough Council, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Warwick District Council, Warwickshire County Council, CVOne, Shakespeare Country, Heart of England Fine Foods, Henley College, the Chamber of Commerce & Business Link West Midlands, with support from Advantage West Midlands.

For further information please see the website http://www.foodanddrink2008.co.uk or contact Richard Drakeley, Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards Coordinator on 01926 412136.

Link to WCC