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Waitrose wants the best of the North East

Waitrose is searching for the best food and drink producers in the North East to honour in its inaugural Made in Britain Awards.

For the last six years, Waitrose has celebrated the produce of specialist producers in its Small Producers Awards. Last year saw The Angel’s Share in Darlington come top in the Grocery and Bakery category for its Cumbrian pork, sage and apple pie. This year, Waitrose has joined forces with Country Living magazine to widen the search and launch the Made in Britain Awards.

Five producers will be selected from across the UK as Made in Britain Food Producers of the Year. They will see their product on the shelves in local Waitrose branches and each will receive £5,000 to develop their business. They will also have their product on display at the Country Living Christmas Fair 2008. An additional £5,000 will be awarded to the overall Made in Britain Food Champion of the Year.

Tracey Telford, Local and Regional Buyer for Waitrose, said: “At Waitrose, we believe local and regional producers are crucial to sustaining rural economies and form an important part of our food heritage. The Made in Britain Awards celebrate and encourage consumers to savour - and save - our country’s unique specialities. They are also an opportunity for us to discover new and innovative specialities - and reward those businesses that have a passion for producing distinctive, local foods.”

Entrants must be a British food or drink producer making a great product, with a business employing no more than 10 people and with an annual turnover of less than £2 million. The closing date for entries is 14 April 2008 and the winner will be announced in September. To enter, go to www.waitrose.com/madeinbritain.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .