PRESS
RELEASES
RESULTS OF THE ORGANIC FOOD
AWARDS 2004 ANNOUNCED
The
Soil Association has announced the winners of this year's
Organic Food Awards, including awards for the most outstanding
organic producer of the year, the best school dinner, certified
organic restaurant and box scheme. Over 40 individuals,
businesses and organisations in England, Scotland and Wales have
been recognised out of over 1,000 entries.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall,
Giorgio Locatelli and Darina Allen were among the distinguished
judges who decided the winners in a wide-range of categories
including baby food, meat, vegetables and wines.
The Organic Food Awards, now
in their 18th year, were announced at a special ceremony on
Sheepdrove Organic Farm in Berkshire, on 3 November. They are
organised by the Soil Association, the UK's main organisation
promoting organic food and farming.
Martin Cottingham, the Soil
Association's Marketing Director, said, "This year's
winners have shown outstanding commitment to organic standards
and to the quality of the food that they produce. These awards
are richly deserved, as competition has been particularly tough
this year."
Main winners include:
·
Producer of the
year - Andrew Dennis of Woodlands Farm in Lincolnshire.
Woodlands Farm is a mixed
enterprise with beef cattle, bronze turkeys and sheep spread
over 1700 acres. The farm also produces a wide range of organic
vegetables and salads for the award-winning box scheme that was
set up in 2000. The judges commented, "This farm shows how
good organic farming can get!" They were particularly
impressed with the increasing local and direct sales, which
account for 41% of Woodlands Farm's turnover - the farm was
initially 100% reliant on supermarket sales. Andrew Dennis uses
local breeds for his beef and lamb, and pays great attention to
conservation and biodiversity measures (award sponsored by
Triodos Bank).
Photographs from the
ceremony will be available from 5 November at www.soilaassociation.org/images
For other enquiries please
contact the Soil Association press office, 0117 314 5145 or press@soilassociation.org
Local
food Producer wins Top Organic Food Award
Woodlands
Farm, which grows, packs and delivers boxes of organic
vegetables and fruit to over 1000 homes in our area each week
has won the prestigious Box Scheme of the Year Award at this
years Organic Food Awards run by the Soil Association and
sponsored by YOU Magazine.
The
annual Organic Food Awards, set up to highlight the best organic
food and drink in the UK, were made by a distinguished panel of
more than 70 judges including food writers Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall and Sophie Grigson, and restauranteur
Raymond Blanc. Over 1000 entries in 36 categories were
submitted. The awards will be presented at a special ceremony in
London at the Dorchester Hotel on Friday 24th
October.
Fourth
generation farmer Andrew Dennis from Kirton, near Boston started
the Woodlands Farm Box Scheme four years ago.
‘Winning
this award is great because it helps to demonstrate that good
affordable organic food is just as available direct from your
local grower as it is from the supermarket. And it’s usually
fresher having not travelled thousands of miles to reach you..
Our customers know they can visit Woodlands Farm whenever they
wish and actually see their vegetables growing. Once an order is
received we pick, pack and then deliver the next day.
It’s
that simple!’
Sales of organic food in the UK have risen
by 55% for the past two years and will be worth an estimated £1
billion pounds by the end of 2003. Currently UK producers only
supply a third of this demand and the Soil Association is
calling for long-term government commitment to help more farmers
to convert to organic farming methods.
Woodlands Farm, which forms part of the
Organic Farms Network, is a mixed organic farm producing organic
vegetables and fruit, Bronze Turkeys and Lincoln Red Beef . It
has a farm trail which is open all year. Visits by local
schools, charities and voluntary organizations are welcome. For
Box Scheme information and enquiries phone
01205 724778 or visit their website
www.woodlandsfarm.co.uk
ENDS
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more information and interviews contact:
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