Finalists revealed for the 2023 Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards

The finalists have been revealed for this year’s Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards following a record number of nominations.

More than 5,000 nominations were received for this year’s awards, which celebrate the very best places to eat and drink in the city.

The judges have now whittled these down and decided on their shortlists. The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony, which is set to take place at The Chocolate Factory on Monday, 9 October.

The awards are made up of 12 categories, including the coveted Restaurant of the Year title.

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “The Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards are celebrating their 15th anniversary – and, fittingly, this year we received a record 5,000-plus nominations.

“This made creating the shortlists a particularly tough task – but has resulted in a collection of high-quality finalists who really do demonstrate that Derby is home to some truly outstanding places to eat and drink.

“The judges now have the not-so-onerous task of visiting these establishments and choosing their winners. We hope as many people as possible can join us for the awards night and witness them being crowned.”

Nominations were received from members of the public, business leaders and food and drink establishment owners.

This year, the Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

To celebrate the landmark a special Anniversary Award will be presented to the establishment which, over the years, has shown consistent excellence.

Once again, the awards are backed by an enviable line-up of partners.

They include Derby College, Derbion, Denby Pottery, Royal Crown Derby, Wavensmere Homes, Balls2Marketing, Compendium Living, Omeeto, Sky Recruitment, University of Derby, White Peak Distillery and App4.

Representatives from each partner will judge their category, which involves ‘mystery shopping’ at all three finalists and scoring against defined criteria.

The shortlisted finalists are:

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

Darley’s

The Tasting Club

Nicco’s

BEST CAFÉ

Café Villabella

Milk & Honey

The Bookcafe

EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE*

The Durham Ox, Ilkeston

Smalls Kitchen

Anoki (London Road)

Stable View Café, Ilkeston

The Devonshire, Belper

Milk & Honey

BEST BAR

Blacksmith’s Lounge

Darley Abbey Wines

Suds and Soda

BEST PUB

Exeter Arms

The Bless

The Hoptimist

BEST COUNTRY PUB / RESTAURANT

Horse & Jockey (Wessington)

The Boot (Repton)

The Barley Mow (Bonsall)

BEST NEWCOMER

The Binary

Carnivore

Mr Shaw’s

BEST OVERALL EXPERIENCE

Kedleston Country House

Anoki (London Road)

Yassou

MOST FAMILY FRIENDLY

Roosters Bar (Morley Hayes)

Annie’s Burger Shack

The Orangery Café (Markeaton Park)

BEST INTERNATIONAL

Let’s Taco bout it

Lorentes (Friar Gate)

Nicco’s

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

To be announced on the night of the awards

ANNIVERSARY AWARD

Dovecote Restaurant (Morley Hayes)

Darley’s

Bistro Pierre

*To vote for your winner of the ‘Excellence in Customer Service’ Award, click here https://forms.gle/avjFz1yrMsQ7WcHj7 . Voting closes on 8 September.

Attention now turns to the awards ceremony itself.

To book places for the event e-mail Christopher.tebbs@marketingderby.co.uk.

For more information about the Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards visit https://www.marketingderby.co.uk/food-and-drink-awards/ .

To keep up to date with all the latest news about the Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards follow @‌derbyfoodawards on Twitter.