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Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards 2007 – finalists announced
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The finalists in the 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards 2007 have been announced. This year – marking the 10th anniversary of the introduction of farmers' markets in the UK – a new award for Best Farmers' Market has been added.
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Finalists include a producer whose oil could rival varieties from the Mediterranean; two cooks whose takeaway food is sourced from their own farm; a husband and wife team who produce unusual luxury deserts; a scheme that supports farmers growing ancient varieties of apples, and a market held weekly in the village church.
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Created in 2000 to celebrate the people and organisations who produce and promote the best of British food, the awards – in partnership with 91Èȱ¬ Local Radio – aim to find the Best Food Producer, Best Take-Away and Farmer Of The Year.
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Joining them are Best Dinner Lady, Best Local Food Retailer, Best National Retail Initiative, the Derek Cooper Special Award and the new Best Farmers' Market. 91Èȱ¬ Food Personality Of The Year is voted for by listeners.
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This year's award winners will be featured on Radio 4's The Food Programme and Farming Today, and also on 91Èȱ¬ Local Radio.
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Previous winners include ex-Navy chef turned dinner 'laddie', Gerard 'Trigger' Roberts, who proved that healthy food can be popular with secondary school children if it's also delicious, and an Arbroath Smokie smoker Iain Spink, for taking traditional smoked fish back to its ancient roots.
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The Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards 2007 will take place on the evening of Wednesday 28 November at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham.
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The chair of this year's independent judging panel is cookery writer and celebrity chef, Sophie Grigson. Sophie says of this year's awards: Ìý
"I think the Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards matter because they really are a chance to honour the work that people are doing to try to make our food better in this country – and heaven knows we need it! There's a long way to go but it's very exciting to see producers, shopkeepers, dinner ladies and campaigners all being celebrated."
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The nominees for this year's awards are:
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Best Food Producer
- Warren and Ellie Goff, Caprilatte Ice Cream – Colchester, Essex
- Peter and Henrietta Greig, Pipers Farm – Cullompton, Devon
- Duncan Farrington, Farrington Oils – Hargrave, Northamptonshire
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Best Dinner Lady/Laddie
- Julie Carey-Downs, Mill on the Brue – Bruton, Somerset
- Carol Griffiths, Food For Thought – Cheshire
- Hugh MacLennan, Ruislip High Secondary School – London
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Best Take-away
- Leon Restaurants – London
- Xtreme Organix – Hay on Wye
- Colmans Restaurant – South Shields
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Best Local Food Retailer
- Uncle Henry's Farm Shop – Gainsborough, Lincs
- Latimers Shellfish Deli – Whitburn, Tyne & Wear
- Fresh Basil – Belper, Derbyshire
- Weetons – Harrogate, Yorkshire
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Best Regional/National Retail Initiative
- SIBA Direct Delivery Scheme – Ripon
- Tesco
- Sainsbury's
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Best Farmers' Market
*New category
- Cardiff Riverside
- Wirral Urban Farmers' Market – New Ferry
- St Giles – Shipbourne, Kent
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The Farming Today Award for Farmer of the Year
- Martin Hamilton, diversified his vegetable-growing business by developing a steaming and mashing plant on his farm – Comber, Co Down.
- Iain Tolhurst, stock-free farmer and pioneer of vegan organics – "Tolly" has inspired and mentored hundreds of organic farmers since 1976 – Pangbourne, Berkshire.
- Robert Wilson, dairy farmer and supplier of fresh herbs, salad leaves and edible flowers through his business Scotherbs – Longforgan, Dundee.
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The Derek Cooper Special Award for Best Food Campaigner/Educator
- Compassion in World Farming – Godalming, Surrey
- Angela Blair, Sandwell Primary Care Trust – West Bromwich
- The Women's Institute
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91Èȱ¬ Food Personality of the Year
Won last year by popular TV chef Gordon Ramsay, this award is decided by listeners' votes and will be revealed on the night.
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The awards ceremony, hosted by Sheila Dillon, will be broadcast on Radio 4's The Food Programme soon after the event.
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Notes to Editors
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The Food Programme is on Radio 4 every Sunday at 12.30pm and repeated on Mondays at 4.00pm. Farming Today is on Radio 4 every weekday morning at 5.45am and on Saturdays at 6.35am. You can listen again online at bbc.co.uk/radio4.
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The finalists in the Farmer Of The Year category will be featured on Farming Today in the week of the awards ceremony.
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This year's judging panel are: Alastair Little, food writer and restaurateur; Gillian Carter, Editor of 91Èȱ¬ Good Food Magazine; Martin Caraher, reader in Food & Health Policy at City University; Robert Clark, Retail Market Consultant; Roopa Gulati, Deputy Editor of UKTV Food and food writer; Christine Tacon, General Manager of The Co-operative Farms; Sheila Dillon, presenter of 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4's The Food Programme; and Steve Peacock, Editor of 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4's Farming Today.
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