Bristol Good Food Awards 2013 crowns Casamia Best Restaurant

 Michelin-starred restaurant Casamia was crowned Best Restaurant in the Bristol Good Food Awards 2013 (BGFA), sponsored by jeweler Nicholas Wylde, at a sparkling ceremony at the Bristol Mariott Hotel City Centre on Sunday night.

Attended by 450 guests from the city’s hospitality industry, the Awards Dinner marked the culmination of two months of deliberations by the BGFA judges, who including food and wine expert Angela Mount, Telegraph food writer Xanthe Clay, Michelin starred TV chef Martin Blunos and TV wine expert Susy Atkins.

Bristol foodies cast more than 24,000 votes earlier this year to nominate the finalists in each category, which included a hundred restaurants, cafés and delis, as well as nearly 40 local food and drink producers.

As well as Casamia, award recipients included Toby Gritten who claimed the title of Best Chef, and Josh Eggleton who was recognized as Best Ambassador for Bristol Food.

Almondsbury Garden Centre sponsored the Local Producers Awards, and marketing manager Richard Truscott presented awards to winners who included Native Breeds for Best Local Charcuterie and Bramley and Gage for Best Local Spirit.

Awards on the night were also presented by foodie luminaries including Richard Bertinet and Hrishikesh Desai, as well as Masterchef 2013 finalist Larkin Cen and Paulina Gillespie of Heart FM.

Organiser Rudy Millard from Guide2Bristol comments: “The popularity of the awards this year has surpassed all our expectations; and we were delighted that so many movers and shakers in the Bristol food scene were able to attend our Gala Awards Ceremony. A big thank you to chefs Chris Wicks and Adrian Kirikmaa who worked with students from City of Bristol College to create a stunning three course meal for all our guests, served with delicious wines supplied by Enotria World Wine.”

There was added excitement on the evening as one lucky guest won a £750 diamond raffle prize, donated by sponsor Nicholas Wylde.

For more information on the Bristol Good Food Awards 2013, visit www.bristolgoodfood.co.uk