The winners of The Courier Food and Drink 2024 Awards were revealed last night at a glittering awards ceremony held at The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews.
As well as celebrating the best culinary businesses from across Tayside and Fife, the awards also showcased five courses from top chefs including:
Praveen Kumar, chef/owner at Tabla Indian Restaurant in Perth, created the canapes which were haggis bonda, vegetable pakora and seekh kebab.
The starter on the night, An Ingin Ane Anah – roast onion custard, wild leeks mousse, burnt leek mayo and pickled shallots, was cooked by chef/owner of North Port restaurant Andrew Moss, while chef Glenn Roach, chef/proprietor of Taypark House, Dundee, created the fish dish of scorched scallops in a shell with whisky and wild garlic.
Chef Stuart Fraser, executive head chef at the Old Course Hotel, was in charge of the main dish of loin of Aberdeenshire lamb, herb-crusted rack, rosemary fondant potato, purple carrot puree, spinach and rosemary jus.
A culinary masterclass was completed by a dessert of dark chocolate cremeux, heather honey and Yorkshire rhubarb, which was created by head pastry chef Chris Nurse from the Rusacks in St Andrews.
Tough job for judges
Editor of The Courier, David Clegg, said that he was “delighted” to see such a “diverse” group of applications this year which was extremely tough for the judges with the largest number of entries ever received.
He said: “The submissions paint a picture of an industry that continues to show resilience and ingenuity in the face of myriad challenges.
“The food and drink sector is at the heart of our local economy, using natural resources of our fertile farmlands, rivers and coastline to create considerable value and provide job opportunities for thousands of workers.
“It has been said that food and drink is Courier Country’s equivalent of the north-east oil and gas economy and its significance to this region really is difficult to overstate.”
Brian Stormont, editor of The Courier’s Food & Drink magazine, added: “I spend a lot of my time travelling around Courier Country to take in the food and drink establishments that are on our patch, as well as sampling the amazing artisan produce created here.
“We have so many incredible restaurants and producers in our area and I am fiercely proud of what they all do.”
Don’t miss Monday’s Courier for our special awards winners supplement
The Courier Food & Drink Awards winners
The winners of The Courier Food and Drink Awards 2024 are:
Bar of the Year sponsored by Diageo
The Barrelman
Brewer of the Year sponsored by School of Business, Dundee University
Wasted Degrees Brewing
Highly commended – Futtle
Chef of the Year
Thomas Tsappis – Killiecrankie House
Community Champion sponsored by Apex Hotels
Braw Tea
Craft Distiller of the Year sponsored by DP&L Group
The Kingsbarns Company of Distillers
Highly commended – Angus Alchemy
Entrepreneur of the Year sponsored by ALTAR Group
Thomas and Jacqueline Fox – The Barrelman / Bruach
Independent Café of the Year sponsored by The Rookery
Sweetpea Café
Producer of the Year sponsored by Swilcan Loft
Angus Soft Fruits
Restaurant of the Year sponsored by Barnetts Toyota
The Boars Head
Highly commended – Killiecrankie House
Rising Star of the Year sponsored by Malmaison
Ethan O’Hare – WeeCOOK
Street Vendor of the Year
Choola
Sustainability Award sponsored by InvestFife
Greenheart Growers
Highly commended – Angus Soft Fruits
