THE Taste of the West Awards are determined to mark their 25th birthday with the very best the area has to offer.

The awards, celebrate producers, growers, specialist retailers, wholesalers and hospitality establishments from across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Founded in 1991, Taste of the West has grown to become the UK’s largest independent regional food group, with over 1,000 members, all passionate about the provenance and quality of the products they make, serve or sell.

For the last 25 years they have been supporting the region’s food and drink industry and in will be celebrating 2016 with a host of new initiatives.

The anniversary year will culminate in the food group’s biggest ever Awards ceremony to take place at Exeter Cathedral at the end of September.

New initiatives for 2016 include: the launch of their own Taste of the West Country shop on Ocado, the online grocery store, in February. This will be a dedicated area within Ocado for food and drink from the West Country.

Also a commercial sales operation will be launched with the aim of promoting the region’s premier “foodie” status to UK and global markets.

And finally the awards themselves will be back, bigger and better than ever, with new product and hospitality categories.

Awards organisers said they are already up 50 percent this year on the number of award applications they have already received.

John Sheaves, Chief Executive of Taste of the West, said: “For a quarter of a century now, we have been promoting quality, provenance and integrity in our food products and hospitality services in the South West.

“Our 25th anniversary comes at an important time for us as we embark on a major expansion of our activities so that our regional foodie culture can reach out to new markets which will firmly put this region on the national and international food map.”

The organisation’s anniversary year also coincides with the announcement that His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, has extended his patronage of the awards and therefore his support for the West Country’s food and drink sector, for a further five years until July 2020.

Nick Hurst, founding director of Burts Crisps, said: “I believe that it is now time for the region’s food and drink industry to stand up and compete on the bigger stage.”

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