City News

‘Taste of Birmingham’ - a four day event in July (6th – 9th) at Cannon Hill Park showcasing the city as a centre of gastronomic excellence – has inspired the launch of the ‘Taste of Birmingham Restaurant Awards’, sponsored by Bank of Scotland Corporate.

Restaurateurs in Birmingham are soon to be in the limelight as the city prepares to host its first ever culinary awards ceremony. In celebration of the thriving restaurant scene in and around Birmingham, the Awards will highlight the region’s finest restaurants and the hard-working teams behind them.

The Awards will be presented at an exclusive ceremony hosted by celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson and ITV Central's Joanne Malin at the opening Gala evening of ‘Taste of Birmingham’ on 6th July. The ceremony will be filmed by ITV Central as the basis of a half-hour programme about ‘Taste of Birmingham’ to be screened later in the summer. A host of stars will be there to present the Awards.

The ‘Taste Awards’ are already attracting considerable interest and individual categories are being supported by Birmingham Bites, Birmingham Post, Birmingham Mail, Brindleyplace and ITV Central in addition to title sponsor Bank of Scotland Corporate.

There are 8 Award categories to be voted on by a combination of the public, a judging panel and 20 of Birmingham’s top chefs whose food will be showcased and available to try at ‘Taste of Birmingham’.

Public voting

Three of the Award categories - Best Service, Best Business Lunch and Best Family Restaurant - will be decided by public vote, ensuring that local people have their say about the best places to eat. Everyone who votes will also be entered into a prize draw to win a dinner for two at one of the award winning restaurants.

Brasseries, bars, gastro-pubs & cafés can all be nominated alongside restaurants. The online voting form can be found at www.tasteofbirmingham.co.uk/vote. Voting opens on Monday 15th May and the deadline for nominations is Friday 30th June.

Judging Panel

A panel of judges will decide winners in four categories: Best Newcomer, Best Wine List and Best Out of Town Restaurant. In addition, an award for Outstanding Individual Contribution will be made to someone who has made a real difference to good food in Birmingham.

The distinguished panel of judges includes:

Mario Wyn Jones – askmario.co.uk - former Chief Inspector of Egon Ronay’s Guides
Paul Fulford - restaurant critic for the Birmingham Evening Mail
Karren Brady - Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club
Hamish Anderson - award-winning wine buyer and writer
‘Taste of Birmingham’

‘Taste of Birmingham’ is an unique four day celebration of food & drink, set in the beautiful al fresco surrounds of Cannon Hill Park from Thursday 6th July to Sunday 9th July. It will offer over 15,000 visitors the opportunity to sample signature dishes from 20 of Birmingham’s top restaurants and the country’s celebrity chefs including Antony Worrall Thompson, Jean-Christophe Novelli, Aldo Zilli and Raymond Blanc will be in action. Restaurants include: Bank, Del Villaggio, Hotel du Vin, Jonathans’, Lasan, Liaison, Le Petit Blanc, Malmaison, Opus, Peppers, San Carlo, Simpsons, Thai Edge, The Oriental and Zinc Bar & Grill.

Tickets start from £12.00 and are available by clicking here or by calling 0870 225 0127.

Awards summary

Public Vote
Best Service Award supported by Bank of Scotland Corporate
Best Business Lunch Award supported by the Birmingham Post
Best Family Restaurant Award supported by the Birmingham Mail
‘Taste of Birmingham’ Chefs Vote
‘Taste of Birmingham’ Best Restaurant of 2006
Judging Panel
Best Newcomer Award supported by Birmingham Bites
Best Wine List Award supported by Brindleyplace
Best Out of Town Restaurant Award
Outstanding Individual Contribution Award supported by ITV Central

For further information and enquiries about ‘Taste of Birmingham’ please visit www.tasteofbirmingham.co.uk

Alternatively for press enquiries please contact Lois Burley on 0121 666 7003 or lois@loisburley.co.uk

For marketing enquiries please contact Alex O’Shea on 020 7420 3550 or alex@completemediagroup.cou.uk