New SW food and drink awards

“Imagine one single person standing under a gazebo on a makeshift floor of cardboard boxes, cold from the wind and watching the rain come down. It is now three hours since someone stopped to buy something. So, why is he there? He is here because one of his regular customers might just want to buy some sausages this afternoon. This is why I started the awards scheme - to recognise these people and to thank them for what they do.”

Farmer’s daughter, Vicki Sargent, is passionate about the food and drink industry. So much so that, 18 months ago, the 32-year-old mother-of-two launched a business which not only offers support and advice to people in that industry but also seeks to thank them.

And, as part of this, at the end of February, she will host a unique awards ceremony where the ‘best of the best’ in the South West will be recognised for their excellence.

The votes have been pouring in from members of the public keen to shout about high quality producers, restaurants and retailers in the region.

“We had thousands of votes pouring in, and they are all from local consumers who just want to tell us that something is good. That’s all. So when we announce the winners, these individuals will have a small platform to sit on - a small recognition for what they do.”

Vicki explains that these awards are unique for a number of reasons.

“To start with, there is a limited number of categories and only one winner per category, then there is the fact that all the votes cast were by the public and then, on awards night, the minimum accreditation that a winner can achieve is platinum.”

The awards sit on the back of liveloveeat.co.uk, a website set up by Vicki and her team of industry experts, where consumers in the South West can find places to eat and shop, read articles by guest bloggers and find yummy recipes. It also serves traders with a jobs board, trade news, lists of producers, and help and advice.

“Everyone who I work with has skills and strengths from many years in food and drink, and we are all at the end of a telephone to give advice and support. The business has been amazingly well received. This month we have had 3,500 new users to the website and we have 12,400 followers on Twitter.”

Vicki’s love of the industry goes back to when she was 17, when her parents bought a farm in Hatherleigh and converted it into an award-winning organic farm. They then ran Moorlands Farm Shop which had a standard and organic butchery unit, and they also ran a free range pork company called Dartmoor Happy Hogs from the shop. This gave Vicki experience of the consumer side of farming. She then moved into food and drink marketing where she worked on a variety of aspects in the industry from developing ranges to organising and marketing events and festivals.

“What I realised over the years was that something could be local but not necessarily good. Likewise, something can be excellent but not from this region. What I set out to achieve with the business was to show the public where they could get food and drink that are both local and quality. And this is what the awards will celebrate.”

The awards night takes place at the end of February at the Deer Park Hotel. All the food and drink will be from local producers and Vicki hopes to turn the event into an annual celebration.

She says: “It is all about the producers, restaurants and retailers, about them doing something brilliant, and we want to thank them for making lots of people very happy.”