The highly-anticipated shortlist for the Menu Awards 2022 has been revealed.
After hours of deliberation, the judges of the The Courier Menu Food and Drink Awards 2022 have come to a decision as to who is to be featured on the shortlist.
Now in its fifth year, the aim of the event is to celebrate the incredible talent across the region and it was clear from this years entries that Courier Country has this is abundance.
There a total of 13 categories as part of the awards, with Tayside and Fife’s food and drink industry well represented across all of them.
A total of five judges – Eniola Adeniyi, Julia Bryce, Martha Bryce, Jamie Scott and Brian Stormont – were in attendance to go through each entry in fine detail, with the standard as impeccable as always.
The awards ceremony will be hosted at the prestigious Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, on October 6 and will not only celebrate the winners but will also showcase five delicious courses from five top chefs in the area.
Those chefs include:
- Martin Hollis, executive chef, The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews
- Praveen Kumar, chef owner at Tabla Indian Restaurant in Perth
- Derek Johnstone, head chef at 18, the flagship restaurant of the newly refurbished Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews
- Ian Syme the Fairmont St Andrews’ executive chef
- Dean Banks, chef/owner of Haar Restaurant in St Andrews
Assessing the entries
The judges had the difficult decision of creating a shortlist.
Eniola Adeniyi of the Caribbean inspired eatery Gidi Grill in Dundee.
She said: “I am glad to have experienced the great thought and planning put into organising and judging such important awards.”
Judge Martha Bryce, of Sound Bite PR, described the judging process as a “great privilege”.
She added: “At Sound Bite PR, we work with a huge variety of food, drink and hospitality businesses and this year’s entries to the awards showed real diversity across this sector.
“The last few years have been incredibly turbulent, so it was heartening to see so many exciting newcomers, alongside resilient businesses that are continuing to innovate and grow. We’re fortunate indeed to have such a vibrant food and drink scene on our doorstep!”
Jamie Scott, of The Newport restaurant, the Daily Grind and Newport Bakery, said: “To be part of such a prestigious awards judging panel is always a pleasure and to struggle and debate on the finalists and winners so much, shows the level of entries for this year, especially encouraging coming back from the pandemic to see hospitality is still in a strong position.”
Menu editor, Brian Stormont, said: “The standard of entries this year was incredible.
“It was an honour to be involved in the judging process.
“There are so many exciting things going on in the hospitality industry in Tayside and Fife – they deserve to be recognised at the awards which will be an amazing night.”
Below is the full list of finalists and this year the Community Champion award winner will be picked by readers. Be sure to scroll down to the section at the end to cast your vote.
The Menu food and drink awards finalists
Bar of the year
- Casa Dundee
- Pillars Bar and Salty Dog Lounge
- The Barrelman
- The Tully by Ballintaggart
Brewer of the Year
- Ovenstone 109
- 71 Brewing
Chef of the Year
- Andrew Moss – The North Port Restaurant
- Jordan Clark – The Grandtully Hotel by Ballintaggart
- Tom Tsappis – Killiecrankie House
Entrepreneur of the Year
- Hayley Wilkes – The WeeCOOK Kitchen
- Lynsey Harley – Modern Standard Coffee
- Praveen Kumar – Authentic Indian Cuisine
Craft Distiller of the Year
- Highland Moon
- The Perth Distillery Co
Food/Drink Visitor Destination of the Year
- Clootie McToot Dumplings
- The Perth Distillery Co
- The Pickled Peacock
Independent Café of the Year
- Fisher and Donaldson
- The Tickled Trout Café
- Wee Bear Café
- Zest (St Andrews)
Newcomer of the Year
- Angus Grill and Larder
- Killiecrankie House
- The Boar’s Head
- The Crusoe
Producer of the Year
- Clootie McToot Dumplings
- Pittenweem Preserves
- The Dundee Gin Company
- The WeeCOOK Kitchen
Restaurant of the Year
- Eolas Restaurant at Murrayshall Country Estate
- Little’s Restaurant
- The Grandtully Hotel by Ballintaggart
- The North Port Restaurant
Street Food Vendor of the Year
- Heather Street Food
- Rico’s Pizza Shack
- The Shack
- Ox and Anchor
Sustainability Award
- Framedrum Venison
- The Little Green Larder
- Zest
Community Champion
This year our readers are being asked to pick the winner of the Community Award. There are three finalists that have been picked by the judges for this category. They include: Dundee Bairns, Kitschnbake and The Little Green Larder.
Dundee Bairns:
Dundee Bairns was established in 2016 to provide free breakfasts and lunches to children living in the most deprived areas of Dundee, particularly during the school holidays. During the last 12 months Dundee Bairns has continued to provide breakfasts and lunches to children who live in our most deprived communities. During Covid lockdowns they provided over 130,000 free meals and groceries to children and families. In the six weeks of the 2022 school summer holidays they will provide 37,800 meals or funding for meals to over 100 community projects in the City of Dundee.
In 2020 the challenge of providing meals and groceries during the pandemic was monumental and caused a high level of fatigue within the pool of core volunteers. In 2021 they witnessed a downturn in the number of community projects who were able to operate, mainly as a result of the Covid restrictions. However, they persevered and managed to deliver just over 30,000 meals.
Kitschnbake:
Kitschnbake was started in 2010 as a home baking business and became a café by accident. But what a happy accident it’s been. Mary-Jane opened the cafe doors on November 5, 2014 having renovated office space in Newport-on-Tay and it’s been a mainstay of the village since. The success of the cafe isn’t just down to the location or the products, it’s thanks to the dedicated staff and loyal customers. The cafe has provided huge support to local charities and organisations throughout the years as well as being a home away from home to many.
When Covid forced them into lockdown, Mary-Jane delivered over 600 school meals throughout the village, making sure nobody went without Even though she was high risk and should be shielding she worked tirelessly to ensure her staff were kept safe. Her goal was to give staff and local folk some solace during the roughest of times. Mary-Jane was there to give everyone the chance of some normality regardless of what she was faced with in her personal life.
The Little Green Larder:
The Little Green Larder is more than just a shop, they are part of the community. This year they have fundraised £1,000 and donated it to local charities and community groups including Royal Dick Vet, RSPB, LCC, local foodbanks, Barnardo’s and Feeling strong. They also donate a percentage of profits to local charities and community groups, this year this has included Feeling Strong, LCC, Samaritans, Rad Apples, Royal Dick Vet and Guide Dogs Scotland.
Community outreach over the past 12 months has included donating £200 of eco products to local fundraisers, donating period products to local period poverty groups, organising community events and organising a charity book sale.
During the Covid 19 pandemic they worked hard to ensure that people in the community still had access to food and essential supplies. Although they could have closed and furloughed staff they wanted to stay open to serve the community and provide a safe place for customers to shop.
Have your say below and vote for who you think should be crowned the winner.
Brand Ambassador: The winner has been picked by the judges
For more information on The Menu Food and Drink Awards or to purchase tickets to the event visit www.dctevents.com/event/the-menu-food-and-drink-awards
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