Winning recipe
Now in its third year, voting is well under way for the Brighton & Hove Foodie Awards. How quickly too, these awards have become both respected and coveted. Voted for by you the public, they offer food lovers in Brighton & Hove the chance to say what they really like. Each of the categories attracts a massive number of online votes and each year we are fascinated by how public opinion reflects a love for local independent businesses in the food world with very few mentions of national and international corporate chains.
Once a month I go along to Juice 107.5 and join Andrea Fox and Dan Gasser on the breakfast show to announce the current board leaders and in September Andrea and I hit the stage together to host the award ceremony as part of the Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival.
Jostling for position takes place right up to the last moments and you may well notice as you go around the city that competitors will be lobbying for your vote. The fact that you are already in their business should be enough reason to give them your vote! As of mid-June only the smallest of margins separate contenders on the Brighton & Hove Foodie Awards leaderboard as rivals fight for position in what is turning out to be a highly competitive year, according to organisers Natural PR.
So how does The Foodies Leaderboard look, as of 7th June?
Much loved Terre à Terre in East Street is heading the leaderboard in the Best Restaurant category for the first time since the competition launched two months ago. There’s a tie for second place between last month’s leaders Coast to Coast in Brighton Marina and Food for Friends in Prince Albert Street, with the Chilli Pickle squeezed out of this month’s leaderboard by the smallest of margins.
Last month’s three way tie for first place in the Best Food Pub category is no more but only three votes separate the top three! Leading the way is the Ginger Pig in Hove Street, the Basketmakers in Cheltenham Place is now in second place and the Foragers in Stirling Place is in third place. So no change with the names but all change with position!
Paula Seager of Natural PR, who organises the awards asks, “Will we see any new names next month or will these three much loved food pubs battle it out all the way through to October?”
There’s no change either in the Best Café category; last year’s winners Iydea in Kensington Gardens remain in first place, Moksha Caffe in York Place is still there in second and Mange Tout in Trafalgar Street maintains third place. But voting numbers for other city favourites are on the increase and it could be a very different picture next month!
For Best Food Shop, first and second places have done a direct swap. Last month’s leaders Boho Gelato in Pool Valley are now in second place with Infinity Foods in North Road taking the top spot but only one vote separates the two. The Brighton Sausage Company in Gloucester Street holds onto third place. Paula goes on to say, “We’ve never seen anything quite like this. Every month the lead is passing back and forth, places are being fought for, lost or gained, with just one or two votes in it.”
“Each month we announce the top three, but in some categories only a handful of votes separate the top ten. With three months voting still to go, the competition is far from over and the only thing we can say with certainty is that there could be plenty of surprises in store. So if your favourite has not yet appeared on the leaderboard, get involved and have your say, it could make a very big difference to next month’s positions.”
So if you want to stand up and be counted then log on and remember, everyone has only one vote in each of the categories.
Find out more and place your vote at www.brightonfoodawards.com
