The Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards 2006 are now open for entries from businesses in the Highlands and Islands region.

These prestigious awards, in their second year, celebrate the diverse range of food and drink products grown and produced locally, as well as industry related services. They also focus on the success of individual businesses and their important contribution to the local economy.

The awards are organised by the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Forum, which was set up three years ago as a partnership between industry and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Last year’s event was a great success, attracting entries from around one hundred different companies.

Dennis Overton, chairman of the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Forum said: “Celebrating success within the Highland community of food and drink players did not happen until last year. Suddenly, at our first awards dinner - out of nowhere - we had a deluge of entries from farmers, processors, hoteliers, brewers and distillers: there was clearly pent up demand for recognition and awards. This year we expect the competition to be even fiercer; a great night of celebration is in prospect for the awards dinner on 5 October.”

The food and drink industry in the Highlands and Islands generates in excess of £600m per annum and supports over 10,000 full time jobs across the region. There is a wide range of diverse products including fish and shellfish, meat and dairy products, biscuits and confectionery and an equally diverse profile of businesses, from internationally renowned Baxters to small innovative producers supplying niche markets.

There are ten different categories of awards, covering Food Tourism to Innovation and Food and the Environment. A new Award for 2006 will be presented to the individual who has made the biggest individual contribution to the food and drink sector in the region. The Excellence Award is presented to the overall winner, selected from all entries. Full details of all ten categories are listed below.

Mull's Island Bakery Organics won the Export Award in 2005 for their range of premium organic biscuits, which are sold in over 5,000 speciality food retailers in UK and has had huge success in markets in the USA.

Joe Reade, Island Bakery’s owner commented: "We were delighted to win the Export Award at last year's inaugural Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards. There's an amazing array of fantastic food and drink producers in the region and this event helps reinforce this."

The awards are funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and by several companies in the private sector. The main commercial sponsor of this year’s awards is Inverness-based, Williamson Foodservice, a wholesale distributor that supplies a complete range of fresh produce, dairy and chilled foods, specialising in locally sourced products wherever possible.

Commenting on his company’s involvement, Gary Williamson, managing director said: “Williamson Foodservice is delighted to support the awards as they recognise the many local quality food producers that we like to support. Our customers are always keen to buy local food products and we see ourselves as a route to market for many of the smaller regional producers.”

The closing date for entries is Monday 11th September 2006 and the awards will be announced at an awards dinner on 5th October.

Link to further details and application forms