Last night (3rd July), weeks of gorging ourselves on Chinese food and buffets culminated in the Bristol Good Food awards ceremony. We were thrilled to be invited to take part in the judging, and while we had mixed receptions and there have been a few teething problems (it is the first year), the whole experience has been great fun – and great for Bristol!

(Emily I stole one of your photos – hope you don’t mind?!)

After panicking about my outfit not being ‘black tie’ enough (it was fine), myself and guest (Matt from Skint mag) entered Bristol museum (great location for an event like this), to be faced with a swarm of Bristol’s biggest and best foodies – chef’s, waiters, sommeliers, writers, you name it, they were all under one roof! You know when you keep seeing faces that you recognise but don’t know their name? That was what it was like!

We were seated at the judges table, with fellow judges Emily from Bristol Bites, Xanthe Clay from The Telegraph, Barbara from Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy, Fiona Beckett from The Guardian and Lorna Knapman from Love Food Festival – a great bunch of people – we had great fun (if a little too much wine).

The food was a talking point, but they didn’t really stand a chance considering Bristol’s best chefs were all in the building! The awards kicked off after the meal, and while I was trying to tweet the results, I was also trying to get over my nerves at the prospect of climbing the steps (in heels) to present the best Indian restaurant award! How do you pronounce Kohi Noor?!! I hope I got it right – it was a bit of a blur, but at least I didn’t fall over!

Well done and thank you to Rudy and Angela for organising a great evening and concept, and congratulations to the winners! Full list of winners below, but my biggest shout outs go to Rosemarino, the Galli, The TownHouse and the Pump House – excellent choices and very well deserved! (as they all were!)

Now time to have a little lie down and recover!

Best Restaurant
Winner: The Pump House
Highly Commended: Second Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols

Best Chef
Winner: Louise McCrimmon, Second Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols
Highly Commended: Chris Wicks, Bell’s Diner

Best Newcomer
Winner: The Gallimaufry
Highly Commended: The TownHouse

Best Fine Dining Wine List
Winner: Hotel du Vin
Highly Commended: Second Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols

Best Wine List
Winner: Flinty Red
Highly Commended: Bordeaux Quay

Best Italian
Winner: Rosemarino
Highly Commended: Prego

Best British
Winner: The TownHouse
Highly Commended: The Clifton Sausage

Best French
Winner: Bell’s Diner
Highly Commended: Glassboat

Best Asian
Winner: Surakhan
Highly Commended: Water Sky

Best Indian
Winner: Kohi Noor
Highly Commended: Brunel Raj

Best Chinese
Winner: Mayflower
Highly Commended: Water Sky

Best Seafood
Winner: RockFish Grill
Highly Commended: Fishers

Best Pub Food
Winner: The Kensington Arms
Highly Commended: The Victoria Park

Best Sunday Lunch
Winner: The TownHouse
Highly Commended: The Cowshed

Best Family Friendly
Winner: The Swan Hotel
Highly Commended: Pizza Express

Best Chain
Winner: Cote
Highly Commended: Cafe Rouge

Best Al Fresco Dining
Winner: Riverstation
Highly Commended: The Olive Shed

Best Vegetarian
Winner: Maitreya Social
Highly Commended: The Thali Cafe

Best Buffet
Winner: Shanghai Nights
Highly Commended: Cosmo

Best Burger
Winner: Warren’s Gourmet Burger Company
Highly Commended: The King’s Arms

 Best Cafe
Winner: A Cappella
Highly Commended: Primrose Cafe

Best Deli
Winner: Arch House Deli
Highly Commended: Papadeli

Best Breakfast
Winner: Rosemarino
Highly Commended: A Cappella

Best Use Of Local Produce
Winner: The Ethicurean
Highly Commended: Bordeaux Quay