IN FULL: All the winners as Tayside and Fife hospitality sector gathers for second the Menu Food and Drinks Awards

By Nadia Vidinova

March 29 2019, 11:33am

The best of Courier Country’s hospitality sector was showcased at the second The Menu Food and Drink Awards last night.

Tayside and Fife’s top chefs, drinks producers, restaurant and bar owners were honoured with awards during a glamorous ceremony at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews.

Hundreds of guests gathered for the ceremony, which was fittingly complemented by a lavish gala dinner, with each of the five courses cooked up by a top local chef.

Canapes were provided by Praveen Kumar, chef owner of Tabla Indian Restaurant, while Paul Newman, chef owner at Thyme at Errichel Restaurant, whipped up Highland venison starters.

Robbie Penman, head chef, and Sharon Munro, executive chef at St Andrews Links, served up a fish course of seared Peterhead cod and East Neuk seafood chowder, before the main course of Scotch beef fillet, braised short rib and truffled polenta by Martin Hollis, executive chef at the Old Course Resort.

All the winners at The Menu Awards 2019.

Last but not least, a dessert of Dundee cake mousse and petit fours were whipped up by Graham Paulley, head chef at the Apex Hotel, as well as Albert Close and students at Dundee and Angus College respectively.

LIVE UPDATES: Best in local food and drink sector arrive for 2019’s The Menu Food and Drinks Awards

Courier editor Catriona MacInnes said: “It is a fabulous opportunity to be able to celebrate the wonderful natural larder that we have in this part of Scotland and to salute the businesses and individuals who fly the foodie flag in Scotland.

“The awards were launched last year to allow us to recognise all that is good about the food and drink sector in Courier Country.

“In this second year of the awards it is fabulous to see such an amazing turnout and so many different businesses in one place.

“I would like to express my thanks to our sponsors, all those who took time to enter and the judges for ensuring that every entry was scrutinised and deliberated on as part of our process of deciding on tonight’s winners.”

Event host was Jak O’Donnel, chef/patron at The Sisters restaurant.

Sponsors included Food from Fife, Avian, Eden Mill, Sodexo and Highland Game.