T&L Food Awards (2011)

Time & Leisure, Tuesday 10 May 2011

Go to T&L Food & Drink Awards 2012

Antonio Carluccio, Bruce Poole of Chez Bruce, Shay Cooper of The Bingham, Al Crisci from The Clink and The One Show presenter Angellica Bell attended the inaugural T&L Food Awards ceremony at Le Gothique in Wandsworth on 9 May.

The sunny courtyard at Le Gothique was the perfect setting for the ceremony which was sponsored by South London Business. Guests included nominees and their friends and supporters, T&L clients and readers, tasting table experts and local chefs and dignitaries.

The T&L Food Awards invited our readers to nominate their favourite local establishments – delis, restaurants, takeaways, wine retailers – and the votes came pouring in, proving that T&L readers truly care about food, wine, entertaining and eating out.

A massive number - 3,000 - votes was polled. As Lucy Kane, publisher and MD of T&L pointed out at the event: all the nominees are winners but someone has to win overall! From within the eleven categories readers voted the following as winners and highly commended:

Best Destination Restaurant

Winner: Cannizaro House
Highly Commended: The Depot
Commended: San Lorenzo

Best Bar

Winner: The Depot
Highly Commended: The Bolingbroke

The Front of House Award

Winner: Warren House
Highly Commended (tied): Piccolino
Highly Commended (tied): Trinity

Best Specialist Retailer

Winner: Vallebona
Highly Commended: Bayley and Sage
Commended: Butcher & Grill

Best Private Dining Venue

Winner: Nonsuch Mansion
Highly Commended: Galu

Best Wine Retailer

Winner: Revelstoke Wines
Highly Commended: Philglas and Swigott
Commended: Wined Up Here

Family Restaurant of the Year

Winner: Carluccuios
Highly Commended: Avventura

Best Breakfast

Winner: My Dining Rooms
Highly Commended: Cannizaro House

Gastro Pub of the Year

Winner: The Canbury Arms
Highly Commended: The Duke of York
Commended: The Avalon

Best Delivery/Takeaway

Winner: Aya
Highly Commended: Roz ana
Commended: Recipease

Restaurant of the Year

Winner: Chez Bruce

Four Highly Commended restaurants:
Enoteca Turi
French Table
Cannizaro House
The Depot

About the guest presenters

Antonio Carluccio was described by compere Jon Watt as the Godfather of Food, presented Destination and Best Bar delighting the audience with his Italian jokes and his sheer presence.

Bruce Poole of Chez Bruce restaurant in Wandsworth presented Private Dining and Best Wine – Claygate resident Bruce picked up the Restaurant of the Year Award which was presented by Peter Pledger of sponsors South London Business;

Shay Cooper from the Bingham in Richmond is, as compere Jon Watt said, no stranger to awards ceremonies, having picked up the Catey award for Hotel Chef of the Year himself recently. He presented Family Restaurant and Best Breakfast awards.

Alberto Crisci from The Clink restaurant in High Downs prison, Banstead, pointed out that his staff, whilst serving their customers are also serving time. Al, an Epsom resident, presented Front of House and Specialist Retailer awards.

Angellica Bell, presenter of The One Show, lives in Kingston with her new husband Michael Underwood – they met when both were presenting CBBC and celebrated their recent wedding in New York at the Canbury Arms in Kingston in true local style. Unbeknown to Angellica, The Canbury Arms scooped Best Gastropub (one of the awards she presented!); she also presented Best Delivery/Takeaway.

Peter Pledger from South London Business commended publisher Lucy Kane and the team at Time & Leisure for conceiving and realising the Food Awards and for offering local businesses a new opportunity to network and to be successful. He presented the overall prize of Restaurant of the Year to Chez Bruce.

SLB, the sponsors of the T&L Food Awards ceremony, offered all nominees and local businesses who attended the event three months free membership to SLB.