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Manchester Food And Drink Festival Winners 2012
The winners this year. Do you agree?
THESE are the winners this year at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival.
There were 15 categories and a judging process overseen by a panel of independent judges.
Festival Director Siobhan Hanley comments: “The standard of the food and drink industry in Manchester continues to reach new heights. With new venues opening, and examples of innovation being seen all over the region, it has been a real delight for our judging team to review the best of the best."
What do you think?
No 63 Degrees.
No Salvi's.
No Jamie's Italian?
Let the debate begin, but just one thing...
These are NOT Manchester Confidential's awards but Manchester Food and Drink Festival's awards, so if you don't agree with them, it's not down to us.
The winners were announced as follows:
Restaurant of the Year – Aumbry, Prestwich
Chef of the Year – Andrew Nutter, Nutter’s, Rochdale
Pub of the Year – Port Street Beer House, Manchester
Bar of The Year – Liar’s Club, Manchester
Newcomer of the Year – Bakerie and Bakerie Tasting Store
Food Pub Of the Year – Shoulder of Mutton, Holcombe Village, Bury
Casual Dining of the Year – Teacup, Manchester
Food and Drink Retailer of the Year – Booths, MediaCity UK
Coffee Bar of The Year – North Tea Power, Manchester
Wine Retailer of the Year – Hanging Ditch, Manchester
Food Pioneer – Almost Famous, Manchester
Family Friendly Venue of the Year – Croma
Food Hero - Beau Myers, Marie Carter And The Team At Almost Famous
Howard and Ruth Award for Outstanding Achievement – David Fox, Tampopo
Truly Good Food Award - Trove, Levenshulme
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Food pub of the year - thoroughly deserved. Had my xmas party there last year and cannot fault it.
Than you for reporting the winners so promptly - not even on MFDF website yet. Well done the Bakerie - you deserve it - excellent venue
Quickly yes... but nine minutes slower than my blog! ;-)
I agree with all in the main but I would have picked Gorilla over Bakerie (agreeing with the Anonymous comment below.)
It's good that Yuzu were given a special commendation but a shame they didn't win anything. I am glad for Aumbry though.
I've eaten at 63 degrees on several occasions and have been left slightly disappointed each time - still not reaching it's initial potential for me.
Hoss, Hoss Hoss... play nice my friend.
Why would jamie's italian be on there mancon??!
or San Carlo!!?? :)
There's a popular vote too Kate. Have you seen how busy that place is?
Great to see Bakerie and Aumbry up there. Shame to see The Rose Garden didn't make it.
Fair enough shouts I think for most of them. It's always nice when the awards go to some places a little different. Do we know what David Fox, Tampopo has done to win the outstanding achievement award?
great food, great prices, and fifteen years of it maybe?
Agree, Jessica. Never had a bad meal in there. The service is sadly pretty average but the food is truly excellent.
Wasn't having a dig, just wanted to know what the oustanding achievement was!
Introducing truly good pan asian cuisine in very good venues?
At least there's no awards for ROB at Mark Addy - pretentious and sycophantic place
Swiss architects from Zurich know their shizzle about food too.
Never heard such nonsense. Food is always good, service is usually bang on and Rob is a lovely bloke. Also decent Ale selection. Pretentious it certainly isn't
Sometimes the comments astound me on here. Graeme, I took seventeen Swiss architects from Zurich for a meal at lunchtime and they were blown away by the Mark Addy food. It's great to get a bit of perspective isn't it? A couple of months ago it was a French group from Lyons and they adored it too. If you've had a bad meal there, tell the staff and they'll address the problem I'm sure. I have nothing but respect for the quality of food and its Lancastrian roots at the Mark Addy.
Surely The Mark Addy is one of the least pretentious places in Manchester!!!!!!!!!
Nowt stranger than folk
I had a dreadful meal there, emailed them some very polite and constructive feedback and they didn't even bother to reply.
Took a Chilean producer to dine at Damson, Heathcotes Brasserie & Nutters last week and he was blown away by the quality & delicacy of the food.
So well done to Nutter for his award! Can't understand why Simon at Damson has never received an award for his cooking - Quite Baffling!!
They burnt the toad in the hole. They knew it was burnt, saw it was burnt, and still sent it out. Inexcusable.
Edward - maybe something to do with the kitchen getting a zero rating for hygiene?
Couldn't agree more. Rob pulls his tripe out every day!
Not Reader XXX but George at Smithfield Wine!
Went to Almost Famous a couple of months back and im still telling my friends about it and my husband is still trying to re-create the food at home. Unique, modern simple a totaly brilliant food and drink experience.
He still can't make a burger after a couple of months trying?
Got to say I'm astonished that 63 Degrees won nothing. It has re-invented the fine dining offer for the city.
Why, Manchester doesn't do fine dining, does it?
Bakerie? nice enough for a quick lunch but the bread they bake's really not that good at all and the wine they sell is overpriced.
Really thrilled for bakerie, well done - lovely place. (and i dont want to start a debate or get loads of abuse about this but work have just booked our christmas meal there; we're a pretty diverse bunch diet wise and i'm delighted because i can get a proper, vegan three course meal with a dessert and not just fruit salad. what a great thing to be inclusive. Tampopo are great at that too)
North Tea Power a great shout - Love that place. Almost Famous is brilliant too, definitely deserves the Food Pioneer.
agree with the comment about Bakerie - VERY disappointing bread for a "Bakerie" when I went. Much MUCH MUCH better is the AMAZING bread from trove in levy. Delicious smoked mackerel and scrambled eggs with their sourdough toast too. Glad to see they won an award too.
Trove are a very amatuer operation currently, the jury is very much out in my opinion. Gordo was right when he tweeted a few weeks back that they need another two years yet with their bread baking to get it right.
It seems churlish to argue about PSBH as pub of the year- the range of brews in there is incredible and it raises the bar for the whole city.
Nevertheless I walk past it regularly, to go to other places with a lower markup on booze, and a warm atmosphere where you can hear what the people sat next to you are saying.
Been going to Shoulder of Mutton in Holcombe for close on 15 years and the food has always been good. Well done.
Aumbry is amazing. Been there several times and the cooking is superb. Least they are trying instead of being a bit complacent like other places. And to even mention Jamie's Italian is ridiculous, its about 1% better than Bella Italia.
Le relaise de venise is mint also.
Congratulations Aumbry. A well deserved 1st place in my opinion.
I think Starbucks should have won the Coffee bar award.
Congratulations to Aumbry, fantastic achievement and fully deserved for a small but highly talented, dedicated and knowledgeable team. Hat's off to you...
Jamie's Italian is awful!
Salvi should surely have been the casual dining winner!
NTP and PSBH staff have an attitude. Thumbs up to Almost Famous, Salvis, Home Sweet Home and Booths!!
Well done Nutter - must of been stripping naked a week last Tuesday that swung it!! ( not forgetting your great food & flair !)
Family " friendly" Croma? Anything but not friendly , did you mean moody?
Shame Coffee Fix in Gatley missed out on winning Best Coffee Bar. I believe they were awarded some thing from the Manchester food and drinks folks?
Manchester city centre still needs more independent coffee shops.
Why take the shine off ntp's win? I visit both & they're both good, however, ntp were the 1st to introduce flat whites to Manc, bring good espresso (a signature blend) & good roasters, 1st to introduce pourover filters, aeropress, syphon coffee - not to mention a cask ale collaboration with a local brewer...Wayne & Jane & their staff work very hard & deserve some recognition for their hard work. Let them enjoy their win!
There are lots of indie coffee shops in manchester - they're just not all that notable at making decent coffee. Just like there are lot's of restaurants in manchester...
Excellent news for Trove in levenshulme, it's a fantastic plce to drop in for coffee and a bite... With POD down here as well, all we really need now is a restaurant to match That Cafe in it's heyday
New award for next year F*** off back to London, the winner is Jamie's Italian, what a load of s***.
The public persona of the owner definetly annoys Northerners,a bit like Ken and Boris do.But I don't think it the reality and his restaurant is fine.He could have opened that restaurant with a lot less attention to restoring the space,but he clearly cared enough to spend the time and money to get it right.
Plus as Manchester becomes more of an attractive city,it's bound to attract more investment by southerners and more of them to move here.I think that's great,instead of people only moving down to London,they are starting to move here.
David, eh? Why such undiluted, vein-bulging anger. Jamies' is fine. Go off menu - I've had three good specials there. And also the company has brought back to life a fine building and made Manchester more tourist pound, investment friendly.
I've eaten at Jamie's Manchester twice since it opened and both times, had a gorgeous meal with fab service. I love the place and think its very afforadable with an amazing setting.