Each year, the Cotswolds attracts millions of visitors to
its mixture of picturesque honey-coloured villages, great food and rolling
hills. I won’t deny that it is a stunning part of the world. But if you’re
looking for all of this – without the hordes – then cast your eyes further
north…. at Northamptonshire.
The villages are gorgeous. Stone houses the colour of fudge
(it’s part of the same geological seam as the stone in Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire),
a verdant landscape and some fabulous places to dine make this a hidden gem of
a county. Around 70% of it is farmland, with roughly 1 in 7 of the workforce
employed in the food and drink industry. That’s an incredible 50,000 jobs.
And so we go on to the Northamptonshire Food & Drink
Awards, now entering its seventh year. Winning one of these trophies is truly
prestigious for the chefs, cafes, restaurants and food producers who take part.
And rightly so, for in an age of mass-produced , low quality junk food, here is
a county packed with artisanal producers lovingly crafting amazing food – like
Cobbler’s Nibble cheese or The Good Loaf's bread – and food outlets where you can enjoy
incredible meals, cooked with passion, made with produce from local suppliers.
For instance, you’d be hard pressed to find a more
delightful town than Oundle, which looks like Cambridge in miniature. There is
a stack of great eateries here, many of which are finalists in various
categories. Don’t miss the Tap & Kitchen, which won the Restaurant of the
Year Award last year for its home-from-home hospitality mixed with stellar
cooking. Or head to the market town of Daventry, where the Evergreen Art Café, winner of last
year’s Independent Café/Tea Room Award, is expanding thanks in no small part to its success.
Or if villages are more your thing, don’t miss the
chocolate-box prettiness of Yardley Hastings, where the Food Pub winner Rose & Crown is your
classic ‘ye olde pub’, rammed full of oak beams and enough character to fill
your boots and then some. And if you'd prefer a curry you’ll
still find outstanding choices (try Dhan Shiri in Brackley or Mem-Saab in Northampton).
The comprehensive Made in Northamptonshire Food & Drink Directory gives a list of produce and suppliers, while this website gives more details
of winners and finalists in the awards, which reach their climax in November. The winners and finalists
are all examples of British excellence – perfect for a special day out.
