Celebrating our winners
Here are 2013 to 2018 Local Food Hero Winners. These have been picked from over 100 traders at each festival. We created these awards to celebrate the traders who are championing the value of high-quality produce, driving forward their businesses and encouraging other traders to do the same. We think they deserve some public recognition.
Festival Bursaries are awarded to food and drink producers who are new to trading direct to the public. We offer a festival pitch, help to set up with details such as insurance and branding, marketing and PR, with support lasting throughout the following months. The bursary scheme has been running since 2013, with past winners including Berrow Beef, the Chilli Alchemist, Xocolat. Applications are welcome from anyone considering starting to sell direct to the public.
Since 2018 the Bursary has been sponsored by Thatchers Cider
Freestyle Wrappers
Bursary Winners 2018:
This new street food trader is mixing their love of music and food to great effect
They are a handmade tortilla producer who use organic flours to produce exceptional street food. They make everything by hand and have brought their previous restaurant experience to fruition in these unique handmade products.
Levels Lamb
Bursary Winner 2016: Howard has set up Levels Lamb to sell his 100% pasture fed lamb, reared between Lympsham and Brean. His lambs are Lleyn Texel crosses bred, entirely on Wick farm, for their lean muscular quality. He is a keen proponent of the value of our Somerset grassland, its benefit to his livestock and to our health. Coming from several generations of farmers, Howard is the first to market and sell his lamb directly to the public. Read more on www.levelslamb.co.uk.
Berrow Beef
"Being awarded a bursary to attend the October 2014 BOS Food Festival was a massive boost for us at the early stages of establishing Berrow Beef. We had access to expert advice on how to get the best out of the day, free publicity, as well as being able to trade for free. Due to the huge success it turned out to be (both in terms of sales on the day and follow up business), we intend being at every future festival!"
Xocolat
Bursary winner: "The Bos Food Festival was the first major event we attended and we look forward to supporting you again in October. XocolaT now attends major events all over the South West, with our bespoke range of bars, lollies, gifts and our unique double dipped fudge."
The Chilli Alchemist
"I was so pleased to be offered a bursary from Burnham-on-Sea Food & Drink Festival as it provided me with an opportunity to start building my customer base. Having invested heavily, the financial respite was most welcome and a brilliant idea that should be encouraged & adopted by other event organisers. I’ had a great day trading at the last year's festival; the feedback from customers was great and the support from other traders really encouraged me."
Brent House Farm
Bursary Winners 2018: A family run dairy farm based in the hamlet of Edingworth., Somerset. The farm itself was established in circa 1851 by Jesse Huett but today is home to us the Coles Family. We are now milking approximately 80 cows, a mix herd of both British Frisians and Jersey Cows. The herd is managed by Steve and Liz Coles with the help of their children Sam and Sarah..
Nutts For...
Local Food Hero 2017: Attention to detail; pride in their produce; great provenance and a wonderful family to do business with.
Daniel Ingram, Ceres Coffee Ltd
Bursary Winner 2016: Congratulations Daniel on your new cafe in Stokes Croft!
Daniel is a well-travelled chef who is bringing his culinary skills to the festival with his first pop-up street-food stall. he served his steamed Bao Buns with Chinese-style vegetables and home-brewed ginger beer. He is based in May. Daniel moved back to his family home in Highbridge whilst searching for permanent premises for a chef's café in Bristol or London. Ask him about his new venture via his Twitter account
Riverford Organic Veg Box Delivery
Local Hero 2013: "I am so pleased to have been made one of BoS Food Festival's Food Heroes. I believe that the event is a valuable and important event that help spread the word of how important sustainable and ethically produced food is to all of us."
Mike's Pork
Local Hero 2013: "I am very pleased to be recognised for the hard work & commitment necessary to produce locally reared high quality pork. I would like to thank everyone for their support over the last year and I would encourage everyone to support their local food producers."
The Chillees
Local Hero 2013: Local growers and prodcuers of chilli based prodcuts they won Best Newcomer.
Sicilian Donkey
Bursary Winner 2018:
Umberto Caltabiano
"Winning the bursary has given me a huge boost in setting up my business bringing Sicilian Street food to the people of Somerset. I’m really looking forward to introducing my Arancini (Sicilian risotto balls) at eat:Burnham on 26 May.“
Legglands Orchards
Local Food Hero 2015 and 2016: An unparalleled provenance and attention to detail to create a great range of Somerset products.
""We are beyond thrilled to be given the Local Food Heroes award for the second year running. We’re a husband and wife micro-business and this recognition inspires us to continue producing the best Somerset artisan preserves. There is an amazing buzz at the Burnham on Sea Food & Drink Festival and we love being part of it. Thank you to all the visitors who give us such wonderful feedback, and of course to Bev & Sarah for organising such a great event. PS We’re in the Princess Theatre!"
Berrow Beef
Local Food Hero 2015 & 17: A commitment to sourcing and producing authentic & delicious food rooted in the local terroir
"We are thrilled to be awarded Local Food Hero 2015 by our local food festival. It's a real honour to be recognised by others; when we are so proud ourselves of providing top quality, grass fed, native breed beef to the local market, at an affordable price. I also know there are a lot of other excellent food and drink producers locally, so for us to be recognised with this award is fantastic - thank you."
Stefanos Homemade Food
Local hero 2014: A commitment to sourcing and producing authentic & delicious food rooted in the local terroir.
"We are delighted to accept this award, thank you very much and thank you also to all of our customers for their support... We are also incredibly grateful to have met Bev & Sarah – their outstanding local knowledge, enthusiasm for local produce and excellent support offered to local producers such as ourselves is second to none. Grazie molte a tutti!"
Buckland Beverages
Bursary Winner 2018:
Carbonated Soft Drinks, Traditional Lemonade, Ginger Beer, Fizzy Apple Juices.
Nigel Buckland
"I've been an enthusiastic home brewer for many years, and have always loved making naturally carbonated drinks for my daughter and her friends. After moving from Glasgow to Winford last year, I feel the time is right for me to try and make my lifelong hobby a potential full-time career path. A Bursary sponsored by Thatchers Cider would allow me to take a short amount of time off work, so that I can brew and brand enough stock to enable me to take my product out directly to the public via Farmers Markets, Village Fetes and other public events."
Wistaway
Bursary Winner 2016: Becky Shaw makes bespoke artisan chopping boards with burnt drawings with an Exmoor theme.
Robert Hawker Venison
Local Food Hero 2016: He shows a commitment to producing the highest quality meat & products rooted in the local terroir with impeccable welfare standards'. Robert's care and attention to detail comes through in all his products.
"Thank you for this award it's so unexpected! It's humbling to receive this award as there are so many other great and worthy producers that attend the excellent food festivals, it's a brilliant showcase to let your produce shine! This award means a lot to Amanda and I and my family, it represents the early mornings and late nights working at producing the best local produce we can!"
Tricky Cider
Local Hero 2014: Consistent commitment to the BoS Food & Drink Festival
"As craft cider makers in a very competitive market, we are absolutely delighted to receive this award."
Heavenly Hedgerows
Local Hero 2014: A great range of products produced with care, attention to detail and that allow the flavours to soar
"It's such an honour to receive this accolade from my own community, and I'm very touched. It means so much for my company, Heavenly Hedgerows, to be recognised in this way as our ethos has always been about producing innovative, quality products from locally-sourced and forged ingredients, of which the West Country has a magnificent bounty. I'm so grateful to the farmers who allow us considerate picking access, and to the public who continue to support and grow this kitchen-table enterprise into one of the area's top foodie businesses."