Liverpool Food and Drink Festival Awards
It was liverpool food and drink awards last night, and I’ve had this article bouncing around my head for a week or two. I was ready to write it this morning, yet sevenstreets.com beat me to it. They have an excellent article, with a similar view to me on this, not the same but similar. They question the worth of winning one of these awards, the combination of being voted by the public and run as a PR event, are their primary detractors. On the whole I agree with them, I really question the validity of these awards. That is not say I don’t think Liverpool Cheese Company, Lunya or Bold Street Coffee are great, I do. Other awards, however, clearly show the short comings, such as 60 Hope Street being awarded restaurant of excellence in Liverpool, its not even the best restaurant on Hope Street.
The real problem for these awards is not just the public vote, but the limited voting potential. Entries to the vote depend on your restaurant/shop/cafe taking a stall at the Sefton park event. Thus for you even to be in with a chance, you have to drop close to £1000 on a stall with the food and drink festival. Thus this year I couldn’t vote for The Side Door or Salt House Tapas in any category, two very good restaurants that weren’t at the park. It’s this system that ultimately results, in my opinion, in awards of little meaning.
Related articles
- The Side Door Review (liverpoolrestaurants.wordpress.com)
- And The Winner Is (sevenstreets.com)
- Salt House Tapas Review (liverpoolrestaurants.wordpress.com)
Couldn’t agree more Sid. It’s a bit of a joke, really, isn’t it? The only saving grace is that people who *really* know their food know where the best places to eat are.
Its a bit of a shame really, becuase the awards could be shaped into something far more honest and valid, awards that means something. You know when a restaurant is recommended in the the good food guide/michelin/Hardens that its going to be of a reasonable standard. With the Liverpool awards it doesn’t necessarily mean that.
I couldn’t believe there was nothing for Jamie Olivers place!! ….Maybe they should make it all a little clearer ….I know lots and lots of people who voted for Jamies place… Anyway,,,,whatever, I’m sure people will keep going to their fav places and obviously it’s great publicity for the city and all the ‘foodie’ places there….
Jeanette
Can’t say I agree with you about Jamie’s, it’s ok but not great, but I think what you point out highlights problems with the voting system. Thanks.
But why should restaurants who decided not to be part of the LFDF be included in their awards?
One of the awards is called the “restaurant of excellence award” how can this award mean anything if it doesn’t include all the restaurants in Liverpool?
It’s like the Andy Murray being made world number 1, just because Nadal, Federer and Djokovic didn’t want to pay their ATP registration fee. It may be officially right, but we all know it’s not true, and thus the number 1 ranking means nothing.
There’s a perception amongst many that the ‘Liverpool Food & Drink Festival Awards’ means that every restaurant in Liverpool is represented, which isn’t the case at all. Therefore, it’s not fully representative of the food scene within Merseyside – more of a ‘Best in Show’ affair.
‘Best in show’ sounds like a much better term to use, maybe it should also be judged on what the participants bring to the show as well as what they serve day to day.
totally agree sid. bit of a closed shop isnt it really? i passed on th eliv food fest this year not just because of the cost of the stall, but because i disagree strongly people being charged to enter a site just to buy things that are inflated cost wise just for the event. many of the things on sale are avaliable all over the city, for less, all year round.
we could probably all have lived with just the 1 ‘celeb’ chef rather than the 3? white and rimmer both have interests in liverpool, wouldnt it have been wiser for them to do it for reduced fee. especially as simon rimmer expressed his excitement for ‘coming home’? restaurant in manchester? tv career in london?
the hope street feast yesterday was a prime example of what, along with the council, can be offered for free. massive turn out, varied food offerings, including my own, offered for the same price as the farmers markets which i attend every week of every year.
keep it free!!!!!!
Simon
You make some excellent points, especially about Simon Rimmer and his ‘coming home’ comment. The food festival was, and I have no problem with this, about businesses selling products and making money, its what you all do, put it together and it makes a fun weekend festival. So although a free festival would be better, I don’t really see the problem with a £4 entry fee.
I was at the Hope Street Fest yesterday (blog post about that later today) and thought it was really good, but with a totally different vibe, certainly some quality issues with the food on offer.
Next farmers market I’ll come and have a chat. its nice to meet people behind the businesses.
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