Nigel Haworth takes top prize at Craft Guild of Chefs Awards 2017

Chef Nigel Haworth and Northcote Manor received the top honour at the Craft Guild of Chefs Awards last week (1 June).

Haworth was presented with the Special Award as part of a ceremony at the Westminster Park Plaza hotel recognising the top culinary talent across the UK.

The chef took over the kitchens at the four-star hotel in 1984 and has held a Michelin star at its restaurant since 1996.

He also runs five Ribble Valley Inns across the north west with his business partner Craig Bancroft, and launched the Northcote cookery school in 2014.

Vineet Bhatia London, the tasting menu-only Indian restaurant, won the New Restaurant Award, fighting off competition from Ben Chapman’s Kiln, Aquavit London and Gary Usher’s Burnt Truffle.

The People’s Choice Award was given to Harry Lomas MBE BEM, executive head chef at The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire, after an online vote.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Apprentice Chef Award - Tom Hamblet, South Lodge Hotel 

Armed Services Chef Award - Cpl Ian Mark, Royal Air Force 

Banqueting and Event Chef Award - Karen Poynter, Chester Boyd       

Chef Lecturer Award - Mathew Shropshall, UCB College of Food 

Competition Chef Award - Simon Webb, Culinary Olympics              

Contract Catering Chef Award - Glynn Lawrence, Sodexo Prestige 

Development Chef Award - Glenn Evans, Las Iguanas     

Ethnic Chef Award - Tong Chee Hwee, Hakkasan Group 

Innovation Award - The Clink Charity 

New Restaurant of the Year Award - Vineet Bhatia London

Pastry Chef Award - Emmanuel Bonneau, Hilton Worldwide                                           

People’s Choice Award - Harry Lomas 

Pub Chef Award - Gordon Stott, The Sun Inn        

Public Sector Chef Award - Jamie Gibbs, ESS Government Services, Compass Group 

Restaurant Chef Award - Daniel Smith, The Ingham Swan 

Young Chef Award - Ben Garnett-Sinclair, Lusso 

Special Award - Nigel Haworth, Northcote Manor

Honorary Award - Phil Hooper