The winners of the Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards 2014 were announced on 4th November at a glittering Awards ceremony at Oxford Town Hall, with the overall 2014 Restaurant of the Year title awarded to Shaun Dickens of The Boathouse, Henley.
The Awards celebrated the best food and dining in Oxfordshire, with almost 300 guests attending the ceremony organised by TERA Events at Oxford Town Hall. Guests sat down to a three-course gourmet dinner entirely prepared and served by 16 and 17 year-old students from City of Oxford College (part of Activate Learning). The students were all studying BTEC and NVQs in public services, travel and tourism, and hospitality and catering. Helen Brind, Head of External Development and Partnership at the College said: “Events like the Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards really do change lives. This has given the opportunity for young people to demonstrate their talent and skills.”
Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse in Henley celebrated two wins on the night. He took away two of the trophies (which were also designed and crafted by students at the National School of Furniture at the College) for Best Gastronomic Restaurant and Restaurant of the Year. Shaun was elated by his win. Afterwards he thanked his team and said: “This award means so much to me and all the team, we work incredibly hard at what we do, and to receive this recognition is fantastic. It makes all the long days worth it.”
Winner of the most hotly contested category, for brasserie/gastro pub, and coming top of a shortlist of nine was The White Horse at Kings Sutton. The awards night was the first day off for the pub’s new manager and Chef, Hendrik Dutson and partner Julie Groves. The award is the culmination of 12 months hard work in transforming the pub which they only took over last September. In this time they have refurbished the interior and planned a new menu for the gastro pub. Hendrik is passionate about supplying local food and the White Horse has a steadily growing reputation for the quality of its meat, especially venison. Celebrating after the win, Hendrik said: “This recognition after a year makes it all worthwhile for Julie and I.”
An Award for Excellence was made to Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and city centre landmark The Randolph Hotel won the highly sought after award for Outstanding Service. Best Asian was The Snooty Mehmaan, Faringdon. Last year’s winner of the coveted Public Vote, Reg’s Café in Banbury, won the Express Café/Deli category, while Café Aloha in Oxford won this year’s prize for the Public Vote.
A celebration of the best food in Oxfordshire wouldn’t be complete without applauding the best producers and suppliers in the county. The producers’ award went to Bucksum, growers of seasonal vegetables, and the suppliers’ award went to Jolly Foods, just beating Brackley Butchers and Rectory Farm. The Living in Oxford Editor’s Choice Award went to La Cucina, who also gained recognition for an individual contribution when Mateus di Silva of La Cucina was recognised for the City of Oxford College Trainee Award.
Full list of winners:
Restaurant of the Year. Recognising the best in Oxfordshire, the overall winner, The Oxfordshire Restaurant of the Year has been selected from the winners in the other categories (see below), and is decided on by the committee.
Winner: Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse, Henley on Thames
Gastronomic Restaurant. Formal restaurants that seek to build reputation on dishes that exhibit finesse, complexity and considerable skill in execution; extensive product knowledge of staff; and attentive yet unobtrusive service.
Winner: Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse, Henley on Thames
Gastro Pub / Brasserie. Relaxed, often informal or semi-formal settings, in which there is much emphasis placed on the quality of food and service. Menus often contain culturally-specific and possibly ‘rustic’ dishes, which require considerable skill to execute.
Winner: The White Horse, King’s Sutton
Traditional Pub Restaurant. A uniquely British creation, informal establishments that promote a sense of conviviality and community, which serve good quality food (often, but not exclusively British) and a range of beers.
Winner: King and Queen, Longcot
Asian. A defining characteristic of the Oxfordshire restaurant scene – establishments serving exclusively Asian cuisine.
Winner: Snooty Mehman, Faringdon
Express, Deli, Café. Food outlets that enable us to dine whilst ‘on the go’, or when we want a quick meal in an informal setting.
Winner: Reg’s Café, Banbury
Outstanding Service Award. Based on interpretation of scores and reviews, the judging panel will identify the restaurant that offered the most outstanding quality of service.
Winner: The Randolph Restaurant, Oxford
Excellence Winner: Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saison
Public Vote Winner: Café Aloha
City of Oxford College Trainee of the Year Winner: Mateus di Silva, La Cucina
Living In Oxford Editor’s Choice Award Winner: La Cucina
Best Producer Winner: Bucksum
Best Supplier Winner: Jolly Foods
For more details, or to enter for 2015, visit www.oxfordshirerestaurantawards.co.uk
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