Bulls Head is Highly Commended for Local Food Award!!
The North West Champions in the 2012 Countryside Alliance Awards (aka the Rural Oscars) have been announced, with top local businesses now going forward to the UK & Ireland final. The Awards are the Countryside Alliance’s annual celebration of rural produce, skills, enterprise and heritage through our small hard-working businesses. These are the eighth annual Awards and they have quickly become the rural business award to win. The hard-working and popular winners now go on to represent the region at the UK & Ireland finals at Parliament in Westminster on 13th March.
The Bulls Head was nominated by customers for its great use of Local Food/Produce. Lloyd our Head Chef and Ben our Landlord underwent vigorous questioning from judge and Countryside Alliance North of England Director Simon Hamlyn. Simon was impressed with our use of local suppliers in our ingredients as well as main menu dishes. Our use of Cheshire Game for our Game week and our Autumn and Christmas menus and our commitment to the village of Mobberley and the community. Our village notice board and our support of the local Church as well as supporting village events was appreciated too. This is the first time the Bulls Head has been recognised for such an award and we and the team are very proud to feature in the final. Once again we achieved second place with a ‘highly commended’ which was a great effort after only two and a half years of being open. Big thanks to all our customers who recommended us and gave us the chance to compete. Next year we will go for an ‘Oscar’!! The winner was actually from Cumbria which I guess makes us ‘champs’ of Cheshire for 2012…we’ll take that!!
The Local Food winner was Hawkshead Relish, Hawkshead, Cumbria www.hawksheadrelish.com This is a family-run business that diversified and grew out of the changes Foot & Mouth Disease brought to the countryside in 2001. Mark Whitehead’s homemade condiments created to enhance his café menu became a popular new business opportunity and Hawkshead Relish was born. From a range of 12 handmade preserves cooked up in small pans, the company gained recognition in the region. By 2003 the cafe was closed to allow the space needed for the ever growing demand, now country wide and housed in the Hawkshead Relish shop (a 16th century building) Hawkshead Relish hand make 122 preserves in small batches in open pans. All the selected ingredients are sourced through local suppliers and no artificial colourings, flavouring or preservatives are used. The range incorporates everything from Chutney to Jam, Mustard to Jellies and everything in-between. Mark Whitehead combines traditional recipes with his own new concepts creating innovative products. This is a true Cumbrian local business with local produce and the community at heart, even though the products are now exported to 24 countries.
