Food for thought as new category announced for tourism awards
Published: 20 May 2011
Yorkshire restaurants are being urged to come forward and enter the UK's largest tourism awards ceremony, the White Rose Awards 2011. Organised by Welcome to Yorkshire, this year's awards have a new category, Yorkshire Restaurant of the Year.
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said:
"Yorkshire has a reputation for great produce and fine but unpretentious dining. We recognised the timing is right to celebrate our great restaurants, however great or small, as part of our annual awards.
"The 16 categories also feature the Taste of Yorkshire Award category which gives people in the industry two bites of the cherry to prove they are the very best in Yorkshire."
In addition to the brand new category for restaurants, Welcome to Yorkshire has announced a new line up of judges. Due to the high standard of applications received each year, the independent panel of judges face the challenge of deciding which entrants will be short listed as a finalist for the awards. Fittingly, this year the panel will be joined by the well-known food and travel writer Elaine Lemm who will be using her expertise to help decide which restaurants will go through to the final.
Elaine writes for many outlets including a website on British Food for the New York Times. She said:
"I feel honoured to be part of these illustrious awards and already know that choosing the finalists will be tough as undoubtedly Yorkshire has some of the finest restaurants in the UK."
The judges also include the vast experience of Barbara Woroncow, who is chair of the judging panel. Peter Charlton, Editor of the Yorkshire Post, is also an expert hand in judging for the awards. And Roger Bowers, former High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, will bring his wealth of knowledge to the judging process.
The awards, which attract in excess of 1,000 guests, highlight the shining stars of Yorkshire's tourism industry at a glamorous black-tie ceremony. The hotly contested 16 categories* include, Bed & Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year; Business Tourism Award; Yorkshire Pub of the Year and Tourism Event of the Year. And for a selection of White Rose Awards winners there will be the exciting opportunity to compete on a national scale as they go through to the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2012. Gold winners from the Enjoy England Awards 2011 included The Deep, Hull, and The Dovecote Barns, nr York.
Last year the White Rose Awards were held at Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate when well over a thousand people from the tourism and wider business community attended one of the biggest award ceremonies in the country and enjoyed a meal designed by the county's Michelin chefs.
Welcome to Yorkshire is now looking for a venue to stage this year's awards. The venue must have capacity of 1,000 for a black-tie dinner. Interested venues should contact Event Manager Sara Hamizadeh for further details on 0113 322 3531.
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Editors' notes:
Further details about the White Rose Awards and entry forms can be found at www.whiteroseawards.com
*White Rose Awards 2011 categories:
1. Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year
2. Business Tourism Award
3. Large Hotel of the Year
4. Outstanding Customer Service Award
5. Small Hotel / Townhouse of the Year
6. Sustainable Tourism Award
7. Tourism Event of the Year
8. Yorkshire Pub of the Year
9. Best Tourism Experience of the Year
10. Caravan Holiday Park & Holiday Village Award
11. Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
12. Self Catering, Cruisers & Serviced Apartments Award
13. Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
14. Taste of Yorkshire Award
15. Visitor Information Award
16. Yorkshire Restaurant of the Year
About Welcome to Yorkshire
• Welcome to Yorkshire is the official tourism agency for Yorkshire, working to grow the county's visitor economy.
• Welcome to Yorkshire is funded by Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency charged with improving the Yorkshire and Humber economy.
• Key facts include:
• Tourism in Yorkshire is worth £7 billion annually
• The county's industry employs almost a quarter of a million people
• There are 216 million visits to Yorkshire each year
For more news and a free image bank www.yorkshire.com/mediacentre
For further information contact:
Beverley Richmond - Press Officer
Email: brichmond@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3507
Mobile: 07769 257380
Jo Francisco - Press Officer
Email: jfrancisco@yorkshire.com
Direct Line: 0113 322 3563
Mobile: 07769257327