GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S FOOD AND DRINK SECTOR CELEBRATES SUCCESS

Gloucestershire has a new awards programme for its thriving food and drink industry and the first Gloucestershire Foodie Awards were revealed at Gloucester’s stunning Blackfriars Priory.

Guests enjoyed food made by country food businesses The Dirty Boys Kitchen, Salt Bakehouse, The Ground and Round Burger, and Non-Solo.

Seventeen winners were announced on the night including Yves Ogrodzki of the Cheltenham restaurant L'Artisan who was named Casual Chef of the Year, and Brett Russell of Cirencester’s Tierra & Mar, who won the award for Fine Dining Chef. The Natural Cookery School in Nailsworth also won the cookery school award and the award for Food and Drink retailer went to The Cotswold Vegbox, based near Chipping Campden.

Made in Gloucestershire, an organisation flying the flag for local food and drink producers, announced Kitchen Garden Foods, Woodchester Vineyard and Eastington Farm Shop as winners.

Young Chef of the Year went to Liam Robbins, of the Speech House Hotel in the Forest of Dean.

Liam said: “I am well chu ed. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I’ve just turned 18 and it is a great birthday present.”

Jonathan Smith, Founder of the Gloucestershire Foodie Awards, said: “The awards demonstrate the quality and dedication of what Gloucestershire produces – incredible food, drinks, and innovation all on show.”

The company teamed up with actors David Bradley and Tom Lewis to create the video for the song from Capaldi’s next album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent.

The video, filmed in Great Missenden and Little Missenden, was written and directed by Squashed Robot Creative Director Phil Beastall, who previously wrote and directed the 2019 video for Someone You Loved, which has more than 180 million views on YouTube.

The video plays homage to the story of Scotland’s legendary dog Greyfriars Bobby, who is believed to have spent 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until his own death in 1872. Harry Potter and Game of Thrones star David plays John, a local postman in a small village.

Phil said: “This is a story that Lewis wanted to tell as a proud Scotsman, so we knew the video needed to be as powerful as the song that it accompanied.”