Enter your favourite food & drink businesses for local awards

Once again we are delighted to be one of the sponsors of the Taste of Gloucestershire Food and Farming Awards and, in particular, to be supporting the award for “Farmer of the Year”.

The awards, now in their fifth year, celebrate the best of Gloucestershire’s farmers, food and drink producers, retailers, pubs, farm shops and restaurants.

Frank Smith, who heads our agriculture and estates department and is well known to many in the farming community, is delighted to be supporting local farmers’ efforts. They are the custodians of the countryside and the producers of much of the food we eat, yet he thinks a lot of what they do goes unnoticed by the public.

“They work long and hard hours and this award is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on their work and their role in the countryside,” said Frank.

“We are involved in these awards because we recognise that farmers and food and drink producers and retailers are an important part of Gloucestershire’s economy and deserve to be recognised for their efforts. These awards provide one way to say well done to this outstanding industry.”

You can nominate yourself or any business for one or more of the following awards:

• Farmer of the year
• Food or drink business of the year
• Outstanding contribution to food & farming in Gloucestershire
• Best eating out establishment
• Local food retailer of the year
• Best independent café
• Best community pub
• Butcher of the year
• Best local producer
• Chef of the year
• Young farmer of the year
• Young foodie of the year

Nominations are open until 5pm, Friday 7 August. The prize giving ceremony will take place at an awards gala evening at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse on 20 October.

For more details about the event, or to nominate someone, visit http://www.digital-thisis.co.uk/gloucestershire/taste/