We all need a treat sometimes, economic uncertainty aside, but where to go for a genuine, quality local food and drink experience in the UKs foremost food producing region?

The Taste of the West Awards 2008 have provided the answer, announcing this years winning dining pubs, restaurants, B&Bs, tea rooms and farm shops across the region.

Sponsored by Musgrave Retail Partners GB, the Taste of the West Awards 2008 provide a definitive guide to the very best places to eat, stay and buy quality, regional food and drink in the South West.

Judges of the celebrated Awards scheme have awarded 35 Gold, 26 Silver and 22 Bronze Awards to hospitality and local retail outlets across the six counties of the South West (full results by county below). A panel of industry expert judges looking for quality of food, cooking and service, ambience, evidence of local sourcing and knowledgeable staff, visited the winners anonymously.

John Sheaves, Chief Executive Taste of the West, said, Consumers are increasingly choosing to spend more of their income on quality food and drink, so much so that this year the market for local food in the UK has been valued at £4.8billion. Despite this, many of the regions hospitality, retail and accommodation outlets still source food and drink through central purchasing contracts. The Awards are therefore designed to highlight those outlets in the region that are proactively incorporating South West produce into their offerings, excelling in quality and, importantly, shouting about what they are doing. Not only are these outlets benefiting financially by responding to consumer demand, they are also bolstering the local economy and supporting our thriving producers. I therefore take my hat off to the winners and would personally like to thank them for embracing the produce on our doorstep for the greater good of the region and its economy.

The overall winners of the product, hospitality and retail categories will be announced at the prestigious ceremony at Powderham Castle, Exeter, on Tuesday 2nd December 2008. More than 200 food and drink producers, retailers, restaurateurs, chefs, hoteliers and invited guests will gather to discover who will win the coveted Champion Product Award for 2008 and the South West regional hospitality and retail awards, presented by celebrity chef brothers Chris and James Tanner.

Support from key sponsors is vital to the continuation of the Taste of the West Awards and once again Musgrave Retail Partners GB (Budgens and Londis food retailers) are lead sponsors. Jonathon Bayne, Head of Technical Services Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, said, Musgrave works with entrepreneurial Budgens and Londis food retailers to provide the consumer with a food offer that is different and better. The standard and quality of establishments entered in the Taste of the West Awards simply gets better each year, testament to the ability of these winners to respond to changing consumer demand for local, quality produce. We are therefore delighted to be so involved in these highly respected awards for the 10th successive year.

Other key sponsors of the Taste of the West Awards 2008 include, by category: Lead Sponsor Musgrave Retail Partners Local Food Champion Award - Ginsters South West Producer of the Year Mole Valley Farmers Local Food in Schools Award 3663 South West Bed and Breakfast of the Year Pertwood Organic Cereals South West Dining Pub of the Year 3663 South West Restaurant of the Year 3663 South West Local Retail Outlet of the Year The Exeter Practice South West Online Retailer of the Year E-Strategy Best New Product Tesco Best Organic Product Clarke Willmott Best of Packaging Clydesdale Bank Best of Dairy Tesco Best of Meat Tesco Best of Sausages, Bacon and Burgers Lucas Ingredients Best of Fish - Eurest Best of Preserves Willett Food Projects and The InkREADible Label Co. Best of Drinks The OPM Group

COUNTY GOLD AWARD WINNERS MAKING NEWS

DEVON Winning silver last year, a Gold in the 2008 Devon Dining Pub category has delighted Deborah Smallbone of The Grove Inn, Kings Nympton, Devon. Deborah said This means everything to us because it is exactly what we set out to achieve when we started the business six years ago. We came from London, tired of all the chain restaurants and pubs and wanted to create a business to be proud of, supporting local producers and giving our guests a Westcountry experience. It seems we have achieved this!

Kevin & Mary Tratt from K & M Butchers in Ottery St Mary, Devon couldnt be more happy with their Gold win in the Devon Retail Outlet category. Kevin said Serving local produce has always been our priority. Earlier this year we won Gold and silver for two of our sausages in the Awards product category and have seen a direct increase in sales. Winning an overall category Gold just proves we are doing a good job of promoting local produce to our customers and supporting our suppliers. All our adverts and shop A-boards shout about local produce so the award logo will sit nicely on them thank you very much! DORSET A Gold win is testament enough of quality and service but Lyme Regis based Townmill Bakery has scooped two prestigious Gold awards in the Dorset Tea Rooms and Dorset Retail Outlet categories. Business partners Aidan Chapman and Clive Cobb have worked extremely hard to create a unique outlet full of ambience and fun, while sourcing 90% of their produce from local suppliers. Aidan said These wins are recognition of all our hard work. We believe in the basics of good, wholesome organic food and creating an environment for our customer that is warm, friendly and fun for all the family.

Winning Gold in the Dorset Dining Pubs category, Kaveh Javvi, landlord of The Stapleton Arms said With our strong local sourcing ethos, entering the Awards was an obvious step for us. Relying on word of mouth, this win will really help us strengthen our reputation in the surrounding area and among our B&B guests, who visit us from across the UK. We change our menu daily and with the seasons and customers have confirmed that this keeps them coming back for more. Winning this Award will therefore only help us continue to run a strong and popular business that also supports the countys other local businesses.

SOMERSET For the second year running Cliff and Trisha Nicholson of Spears Cross B&B, Exmoor have won Gold in the Somerset B&B category. Cliff said, This is quite amazing. We have further improved our menu since last year, sourcing even more produce locally to the extent that our bacon is specially cured by our butcher and smoked by our fishmonger to our own specific requirements. With rare breed, free-range sausages from less than 3 miles away and even furniture that is made locally, our customers have a truly unique Westcountry experience. Our Gold win last year definitely helped increase business through word of mouth and using the award logo across all our marketing materials, so we look forward to shouting about our second award win in a row!

Andy Jeffery of Farrington's Farm Shop was over the moon with their Gold win in the Somerset Retail Outlet and their Silver win in the Somerset Tea Rooms category. He said, We looked at other award winners and knew we could compete so thought wed go for it and enter. I am confident this win will attract new customers and strengthen our reputation among current customers. However, one of the most important things is that winning gold is a morale booster for all our staff, confirming what we already knewthat they are doing a fantastic job. The first thing we will do is throw a great Christmas party for all of them!

Another winner in the Somerset Retail Outlet category is Rumwell Farm Shop, Taunton, Somerset. Manager Tony Robins said Entering the awards was an easy decision as we believe our produce and service is of great quality. We won various awards in the product category in August so to win a Gold for this category is great news. The Award wins go hand in hand with increased business so we look forward to helping even more customers enjoy the produce on their doorstep.

CORNWALL Another outlet celebrating their second win in a row is The Victoria Inn, Penzance, Cornwall, run by Anna and Steward Eddy. Anna said The win last year hugely increased our profile in the local area and we now enjoy welcoming locals and tourists alike through the year. Sourcing locally as much as possible, we chose to run a pub as opposed to a restaurant so people can kick back and relax at the same time enjoying quality food and drink from Cornwall. It is this approach that has helped us gain a prestigious Gold again and needless to say we will be shouting about it to one and all.

Stephen & Cheryl Nicholls of Trerosewill Farm, Boscastle, Cornwall were extremely pleased to have won Gold in the Cornish B&B category. Stephen said, We are obviously pleased and will be shouting about our Gold in all of our correspondence to customers. We actively source local produce, buying direct from local producers so we know exactly where our meat and produce comes from. We like to give our guests a true Cornish experience which is where the Hogs Pudding from down the road comes into its own as a special treat! WILTSHIRE The Harrow at Little Bedwyn has retained their Gold standard in the Wiltshire Restaurant category. Owner Roger Jones said, It is really important to continue to work with our local suppliers as its their produce that allows us to excel as a restaurant. We even develop products together to maximise quality, helping improve their businesses at the same time. Ive entered a number of national awards but the Taste of the West Awards are by far the most successful for us in terms of resulting publicity, which is crucial to attracting new customers.

Gale Gould of Britford Farm Shop confirmed that after 4 silvers, to win a Gold in the Wiltshire Retail Outlet Category is a dream come true. Gale said, Winning a Taste of the West Award Gold is a huge endorsement. The benefit to us is that even if we dont win, the feedback from the judges each year allows us to keep improving. We try at every stage to welcome our customers as if they were coming into our kitchen and our shop reflects this approach. Obviously it was a hit with the judges!

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Over Farm Market Farm shop win Gold for the first time in the Gloucestershire Retail Outlet category. Owner Rob Keene said, This win comes at a good time as we are planning to re-launch the market this month so I will be proudly shouting about the win to ensure people know we are a one-stop-shop for all the best local produce anyone could want.

Winning Gold in the Gloucestershire Tea Room category for the first time since taking over The Kitchen, Minchinhampton, in 2006, Dianne Bunt and her team are extremely excited. Dianne said, The awards are held in high regard so we were confident in doing well as we are really proud of our ethos and approach to local produce. The next step is to win South West Tea Room title!

TASTE OF THE WEST AWARDS 2008 AWARD WINNERS (by SW County):

Establishment Name Address Award CORNWALL WINNERS Cornish Bed and Breakfast Trerosewill Farm Boscastle Gold Woodlands Country House Padstow Silver Primrose Valley Hotel St Ives Bronze Buttervilla Farm Torpoint Bronze Cornish Dining Pubs Victoria Inn Penzance Gold Driftwood Spars St Agnes Silver The Springer Spaniel Launceston Bronze Cornish Tea Rooms/Cafés De Wynns Coffee and Tea Shop Falmouth Gold The Kitchen Tea Room and Restaurant Polperro Silver Muffins Lostwithiel Bronze Miss Peapod's Kitchen Café Penryn Bronze Cornish Restaurants Fifteen Cornwall Watergate Bay Gold Bustophers Bar Bistro Truro Silver Saffron Truro Bronze Cornish Local Retail Outlets Lobbs Farm Shop Limited St Austell Gold Higher Trenowin Farm Shop Bronze DEVON WINNERS Devon Bed and Breakfast The Salty Monk Restaurant with Rooms Sidmouth Gold Percy's Country Hotel Virginstow Silver Whitehouse Kingsbridge Silver Devon Dining Pubs The Grove Inn Gold The Harris Arms Lewdown Silver The Jack in the Green Nr Exeter Silver Devon Tea Rooms Georgian Tea Rooms, Broadway House Topsham Gold Food Dreckly Tavistock Gold The Quay Café Barnstaple Silver Toucan Café-Bistro Bampton Bronze Devon Restaurants Percy's Country Hotel Virginstow Gold Ode Shaldon Gold The Salty Monk Restaurant with Rooms Sidmouth Silver Devon Local Retail Outlets K & M Butchers Ltd Ottery St Mary Gold Lifton Strawberry Fields Lifton Silver Darts Farm Exeter Silver Otterton Mill: Devon Food Shop Budleigh Salterton Bronze DORSET WINNERS Dorset B&B's The White House Hotel Charmouth Gold The Old Forge Shaftesbury Bronze European Inn Dorchester Bronze Dorset Dining Pubs European Inn Dorchester Gold The Shave Cross Inn Bridport Gold The Stapleton Arms Buckhorn Weston Gold Dorset Tea Rooms The Green Yard Café Bridport Gold The Townmill Bakery Lyme Regis Gold Dorset Restaurants The White House Hotel Charmouth Silver Yalbury Cottage Dorchester Silver Eastbury Hotel Sherborne Bronze Dorset Retail Outlets The Townmill Bakery Lyme Regis Gold Washingpool Farm Shop Bridport Gold The Green House Blandford Silver GLOUCESTERSHIRE WINNERS Gloucestershire B&B's Fern Cottage Bed and Breakfast Pucklechurch Gold Cheltenham Lawn and Pittville Gallery Cheltenham Silver Gloucestershire Dining Pubs The Priory Inn Tetbury Silver The Ormond at Tetbury Tetbury Bronze Gloucestershire Tea Rooms The Kitchen Minchinhampton Gold Cotswold Farm Fayre Ltd Cheltenham Silver Thatchers Cheltenham Bronze Gloucestershire Restaurants Bibury Court Hotel Cirencester Gold The Pepper Pot Dursley Silver The Curry Corner Cheltenham Silver Gloucestershire Retail Outlets Over Farm Market Gloucester Gold Shepherd's Farm Shop Newent Gold Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop Brockweir Bronze Cotswold Farm Fayre Ltd Cheltenham Bronze SOMERSET WINNERS Somerset B&B's Spears Cross Exmoor National Park Gold Three Acres Country House Exmoor Gold The Parsonage Langport Bronze Somerset Dining Pubs The Mandeville Arms Yeovil Gold Somerset Tea Rooms Bank House Café Axbridge Gold Farrington's Farm Shop Bristol Silver Annie's Tea Rooms, Garden and Gallery Wells Bronze Somerset Restaurants Truffles Restaurant Bruton Silver Somerset Retail Outlets Rumwell Farm Shop Taunton Gold Farrington's Farm Shop Bristol Gold Barleymows Farm Shop Chard Silver Jon Thorner's Shepton Mallet Silver Broadacre Farm Shop Catsgore Bronze Bramble and Sage - Deli on the Farm Yeovil Bronze WILTSHIRE WINNERS Wiltshire B&B Pickwick Lodge Farm Corsham Gold Great Ashley Farm Silver Wiltshire Dining Pubs The Tollgate Inn Bradford on Avon Gold The Foxham Inn Chippenham Silver The Flemish Weaver Corsham Bronze Wiltshire Restaurants The Harrow at Little Bedwyn Marlborough Gold Wiltshire Retail Outlets Britford Farm Shop Salisbury Gold Whitehall Farmshop Lacock Bronze

For further information about the Awards contact Julie Harvey of Taste of the West on 01392 440745 or visit www.tasteofthewest.co.uk.

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Notes to Editors Taste of the West Established in 1991, Taste of the West champions the South Wests exceptional food identity. The aim of the Taste of the West awards is to acknowledge food and drink of the highest quality produced in the South West and those establishments committed to serving regional produce to their guests. The South West incorporates Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. The awards scheme comprises 21 food and drink product classes, 6 hospitality/retail classes and 3 new personality categories. Taste of the West is the leading food and drink organisation for the South West boosting market demand for locally sourced food and drink, building innovative and effective food supply chains and helping small and medium sized food and drink businesses to flourish Taste of the West works with producers, processors, retailers, wholesalers and caterers plus associated businesses, aiming to expand their markets and improve their professionalism and competitiveness For more information about Taste of the West visit www.tasteofthewest.co.uk or contact 01392 440745.

For press interviews please contact Alexis Thornely on 01392 278801 or email pr@onevoicemedia.co.uk