The BBC Food and Farming Awards 2011 - by Mike Topp
Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop has been named Best Local Food Retailer in the prestigious BBC Food and Farming Awards. The event, cited by Jamie Oliver as the "Oscars of the food world", brings together Britain's best food and drink producers, farmers, local retailers and food markets, street food cooks and dinner ladies. The Brockweir shop was set up seven years ago by local people after the last existing shop in the village closed. It is staffed by over 40 volunteers, as well as a full-time manager and book-keeper.
After sifting through thousands of nominations a team of expert judges spent weeks on the road travelling to every corner of the UK to meet and judge the finalists. At the Good Food Show in Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre last week (November 23) the "best of the best" were named. The awards ceremony, hosted by presenter Sheila Dillon, was broadcast on Friday (November 25) in an extended edition of Radio 4’s The Food Programme. The programme will be repeated on Christmas morning.
The BBC describes the Best Local Food Retailer award as celebrating all those local shops that make our lives more delicious, from butchers and farm shops to bakers and delis. To clinch the title the Brockweir shop beat strong challenges from finalists the Hawkshead Relish Company, Cumbria, and the Pink Pig Farmshop, near Scunthorpe. The trophy was presented by Valentine Warner, TV cook and author of What to Eat Now, to Alison Macklin, manager of Brockweir Village Shop, who was accompanied on stage by four regular shop volunteers, wearing their blue aprons. Asked by Sheila Dillon what advice she would give to other villagers faced with the closure of their last local shop, Alison replied: “Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Just get on and do it yourselves.”
Later Alison, who has managed the Village Shop since 2004, said: “We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award. We would like to thank our local suppliers who provide us with such wonderful produce. We are indebted to the people of the community who had a vision of a community shop where they could meet, have a snack and shop for all the basics and some special items, within a beautiful building.
“I know that the volunteers, who are such an essential part of the shop providing our customers with knowledgeable service about local food, will be delighted that we have been recognised for what they do. We are also grateful to our loyal customers who support us and the local economy by buying local produce. They do that not only because it is local and it supports the local farmers and suppliers and is of high quality, but because it tastes great.”
Some of the biggest names in food helped to present the awards, including Rick Stein, James Martin, Giorgio Locatelli, Adam Henson and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
