BRIGHTON & HOVE FOODIE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The winners of Brighton & Hove Foodie Awards 2011, chosen by 5,000 public votes, last night [October 3] received their trophies from Latest food writer Andrew Kay and Juice FM DJ Andrea Fox at an awards presentation hosted in the Dome Room at Pub du Vin, which was the grand finale of the city’s September Food Festival.

Vegetarians won the day, with restaurant Terre a Terre in East Street retaining its position as the city’s favourite restaurant, taking first place as Best Restaurant 2011, followed by The Chilli Pickle, which recently expanded into MyHotel overlooking Jubilee Square, with another Indian favourite, Indian Summer in East Street, taking third place. 

The Prince George in Trafalgar Street, another vegetarian winner, took Best Food Pub 2011, leading by just one vote, with last year’s winner, the Ginger Pig in Hove Street, taking second place and The Foragers in Stirling Place in Hove taking third place.

Cafés in The Lanes and North Laine jostled for place for the coveted Best Café 2011 award throughout the competition, with another vegetarian outlet, Iydea in Kensington Gardens, winning first place; Cloud 9 in Brighton Place taking second; and Metro Deco, in Kemptown’s Upper St James’s Street, coming in third.

The Best Food Shop trophy was once again carried off by the much-loved Infinity Foods, also vegetarian, in Gardner Street, this year celebrating its 40th anniversary in the city, with Real Patisserie in second place after achieving a place on the leaderboard throughout the competition and The Brighton Sausage Company in Gloucester Road taking third position.

“This year’s awards event was bigger and better than last year and there was a fantastic atmosphere – with a lot of camaraderie between the city’s favourite food places. I think we can safely say that the city’s vegetarian outlets have the most fervent and loyal customers, judging by the votes this year, showing just how important this market is in the city,” said Paula Seager, MD of Natural PR, who runs the awards.

“The competition once again shows what a superb and unique range of independent restaurants, food pubs, cafés and food shops we have in the city and that there is huge support for them here, as the public came out in force to vote for their favourites again.”

“We want to thank everyone who took part, our sponsors ‘We Talk Law’ and ‘Gourmet Britain’, all the food outlets who joined the competition and the public who voted so enthusiastically – and we hope that they will all support us again when we launch the Brighton & Hove Foodie Awards 2012 at the city’s Spring Harvest Food and Drink Festival next April.”