Chesterfield’s Food Producer of the Year finalists announced

By Dom Stevens - 15 August 2019

The finalists for the 2019 Chesterfield Food Producer of the Year title have been selected after a special tasting event held at Casa Hotel.

Crooked Pickle Co, Derbyshire Distillery and Moss Valley Fine Meats are all named as finalists in the category, which is sponsored by Edge Events Management Ltd.

The winner of the Food Producer of the Year title will be announced by celebrity chef, Brian Turner, at the 2019 Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards ceremony, which is being held at the Winding Wheel in October later this year.

The food and drink producers now join over 30 businesses that have been shortlisted across 14 categories in the seventh annual awards.

Organised by Destination Chesterfield and sponsored by The Chesterfield College Group, the prestigious awards recognise the very best food, drinks, service, venues, apprentices and apprentice employers in the town’s growing hospitality sector.

Read more about all the food producers who took part in the tasting session in the latest blog by Dom Stevens, Manager of Destination Chesterfield here.

Crooked Pickled Company prides itself on its ‘tasty and inventive pickled vegetables’ and supplies its range to shops, delis and cafés throughout Derbyshire. Delighted to be shortlisted, Owner Felix Mendelsöhn commented: “It validates all of the effort that has gone into the business in the short time of its existence and shows that we are doing something different to the norm. We combine traditional pickling methods with unusual recipes to offer customers unique and exciting products.”

New business Derbyshire Distillery is based in Staveley and was established in 2018. It produces small batch gins, vodkas and liqueurs. David Hemstock, Co-Founder and Head Distiller at Derbyshire Distillery said: “It’s fantastic to have made it as a finalist in the Food Producer of the Year category, especially in our first year of trading. We are passionate about the quality of our products and are now investing heavily in increasing production and extending our sales outside the local area.”

Moss Valley Fine Meats, which is run by fourth generation farmers, joins Derbyshire Distillery and Crooked Pickle Company in the finalist line up. It produces pork, bacon, ham and sausages at its own butchery from pigs bred and reared on the farm in North East Derbyshire. Delighted to be a finalist, Stephen Thompson, Owner at Moss Valley Fine Meats, said: “We are really pleased to be shortlisted. We are busy expanding the butchery to be able to supply across Derbyshire and this is a great springboard to help us showcase our products.”