One of the biggest nights in the county’s food calendar, the Cumbria Life Food & Drink Awards, will take place on March 22 and the judges want to hear about places where the food and service stand out.
But with nominations closing this Friday, January 12, there is not long left to make sure your favourite eating spots are in the running for the accolades.
Organised by Cumbria Life magazine, the awards take place at Kendal College.
The host for the evening will be the award-winning journalist, broadcaster and restaurant critic Jay Rayner.
This year, the awards are again being sponsored by food and drink retailer Booths, which is generously supplying the food for the three-course dinner for the sixth year.
A year of new venues, innovation and accolades for Cumbria’s food and drink industry means the seventh awards are expected to be closely contested.
With major investment in hotels, new casual dining places, award-winning chefs and three Michelin-starred restaurants, the judges will have their work cut out to choose the finalists and winners.
There are 19 awards to be won, including Restaurant of the Year, Dining Pub of the Year, Chef of the Year and Café of the Year.
This year there are a number of new Taste Cumbria categories designed to recognise the excellent food and drink for which the county is known.
Reader nominations are sought for all of the dining awards covering restaurants, pubs and cafés and the judges would particularly like to hear about lesser known places throughout the county that they may not have come across.
Cumbria Life editor Richard Eccles said: “We know how much winning one of these awards means to chefs and business owners.
“If you know of a restaurant, tearoom or pub where the food or service deserves recognition then now’s your chance to let us know.”
Cumbria Life is published by CN Group, owner of the News & Star.
To nominate your favourite place go to the website at
Food and drink business owners who would like to be considered for the new Taste Cumbria categories are required to fill in an online entry form.
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