Following a hugely successful 2016 launch, the Food Porn Awards has returned in its search to find the North West’s most tantalising dishes. Restaurants, bars, pubs and eateries were encouraged to enter images of their best-looking food in order to win the coveted 2017 award.
Twelve finalists, anonymously chosen by a select judging panel, will move through to the second round, recreating their dishes during a live cook-off. STM Photography, the curators of the Food Porn Awards, will work alongside the chefs to capture their dish before the final entries are revealed and the judges make their final decisions. This year’s winner will once again be announced at the Food Porn Awards exhibition at the Northern Restaurant and Bar Show in March 2017.
2017 will see the awards expand into Yorkshire and Cumbria, with the best food establishments from these regions invited to take on the challenge. Sponsors and partners for this year’s awards include catering equipment supplier, Stephensons; specialist food photographers, STM Photography; social media agency, STM Social; PR agency, Refresh PR; and video production company, WhiteNoise Media.
The awards have also launched a public element, which encouraged the general public to promote ‘would be nominees’ when visiting favourite eateries in the region, uploading their images to social media channels using #foodpornawards. Entirely separate to the main competition, the public images will form an online gallery that will complement the main showcase of images from the 2017 Food Porn Awards.
Last year’s awards saw more than 250 entries, among them TV chef Simon Rimmer’s Cheshire based restaurant, Earle by Simon Rimmer, Manchester House, Ramsbottom restaurant Hearth of the Ram, new baking start-up, The Princess and the Cupcake, as well as restaurants from well-known groups, including The Botanist, Blackhouse and the New Moon Company.
Phil Marshall, STM managing director and curator of the Food Porn Awards, said: “Last year’s awards demonstrated the diverse range of innovative food, flair and skill in the North West. Completely free to enter, the return of this year’s Food Porn Awards will enable restaurants and bars across the region to showcase their culinary talent and work with the talented team of award partners, specialists in food & drink imagery, video, social media and PR.
“Expanding the awards into Yorkshire and widening the North West region to encompass Cumbria adds a new dimension to the competition and gives restaurants on either side of the Pennines the chance to show what the North really has to offer. We want chefs and restaurants to be at their most creative and we’re looking forward to seeing what talent is served up this year.”
This is one food and drink awards ceremony that I’ll be keeping a close eye on. For more information about the Food Porn Awards, hop on over to www.foodpornawards.co.uk now.