Archive for the ‘Ribble Valley’ Category

The winners of the 2008 Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards were announced at a ceremony at Blackburn Rovers Football Club on Wednesday. The awards were handed out by BBC Radio Lancashire presenter Ted Robbins after Ranvir Singh withdrew due to illness.

The winners were:

Bed and Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year – Number One South Beach, Blackpool
Small Hotel of the Year – Shireburn Arms, Ribble Valley
Large Hotel of the Year – Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year – Farmer Teds Farm Park, Ormskirk
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year – Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool
Caravan Holiday Park of the Year – Newton Hall Holiday Park – Blackpool
Self-Catering Holiday of the Year – Beech House, Blackpool
Tourism Website of the Year – Ribby Hall Village, Wrea Green
Taste Lancashire 08 Award – Northcote Manor, Langho
Business Tourism Award of the Year – Barton Grange Hotel, Preston
Sustainable Tourism Award – RSPB Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, Carnforth
Best Tourism Experience of the Year – Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walks
Tourism Event of the Year, Lancashire Food Festival, Accrington

North West picnic lovers can vote for their favourite picnic spot in a competition being organised by Bolton-based bakers Warburtons. Ten sites in the region have been nominated:

Stanley Park – Blackpool
Lyme Park – Disley, Cheshire
Heaton Park – Manchester
Formby Beach – Merseyside
Beeston Castle – Tarporley, Cheshire
Barley Picnic Site – Pendle Hill, Ribble Valley
Jumbles Reservoir – Bradshaw Valley, Bolton
Beacon Fell – Goosnargh, near Preston
Fell Foot Park – Windermere, Lake District
Crook o’ Lune – Lune Valley, Lancaster

Votes can be registered at www.welovebread.co.uk until May 16 2008. All voters are entered into a draw to win a picnic in Central Park, New York.

The winner will be announced at the start of June and will go compete against the other regional winners for the title of ‘Warburtons Best Picnic Spot 2008’.

The Lowry Hotel hosted the Northern Hospitality Awards 2008 last week. The winners included:

Best Restaurant - The London Carriage Works, Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool
Best Hotel – The Lowry, Manchester
Best Bar – Barlounge, Chester
Best Chef – Lisa Allen, Northcote Manor, Ribble Valley
Best Wine Offering, Northcote Manor, Ribble Valley

Moorfield Media have announced the nominations for the Northern Hospitality Awards 2008. The winners will be announced at the Lowry Hotel on April 7. The finalists include:

Best Restaurant

Brasserie Black Door, Newcastle Upon Tyne
El Gato Negro, West Yorkshire
Holbeck Ghyll, Cumbria
The London Carriage Works, Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool
The Peacock at Rowsley, Derbyshire

Best Hotel

City Inn, Manchester
Hilton Manchester Deansgate
The Lowry Hotel, Manchester
Malmaison, Liverpool
Radisson Edwardian, Manchester

Best Pub

The Bayley Arms, Lancashire
The Highway Man, Lancashire
The Q Bar, Cheshire
The Shoulder of Mutton, Harrogate
The Swettenham Arms, Cheshire

Best Chef

Lisa Allen, Head Chef, Northcote Manor, Lancashire
Paul Askew, Chef Patron, The London Carriage Works, Liverpool
David Kennedy, Executive Chef, Black Door Group, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Simon Shaw, Chef Patron, El Gato Negro, West Yorkshire
Eyck Zimmer, Executive Head Chef, The Lowry Hotel, Manchester

Best Wine Offering

The Devonshire Brasserie and Bar
Hillbark Hotel
Malmaison, Liverpool
Northcote Manor, Lancashire
Warehouse Brasserie, Southport

City centre restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool have failed to gain a coveted Michelin Star in the latest edition of the Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland published yesterday. The North West restaurants retaining their single star were Juniper in Altrincham, Northcote Manor in the Ribble Valley, the Arkle at the Chester Grosvenor, L’Enclume in Cartmel, and Sharrow Bay on Ullswater.

Several pubs in North West England have been named amongst the top 30 dining pubs in the UK. The PubChef Top 30 Gastropub Awards featured the Ribble Valley’s Three Fishes at number 5, the Lake District’s Drunken Duck at number 21, and Kirkby Lonsdale’s Highwayman Inn at number 26.

Two restaurants in North West England have walked away with awards from the Restaurant Magazine’s 2007 Best Dishes competition, held in London on Sunday. The Three Fishes in the Ribble Valley scooped the award for best burger while Simply Heathcotes in Wigan won the trophy for best fish and chips.

The 2007 Royal Lancashire Show has been cancelled because of a waterlogged site and forecasts of more bad weather. The event was due to be held next weekend (July 20 to 22) at Salesbury Hall, Ribchester. Dating back to 1767, the event is the UK’s oldest agricultural show and usually attracts around 60,000 visitors.

A decision to close the Tourist Information Centre in Clitheroe has been put on hold for 12 months. The centre looked likely to get the axe as Lancashire County Council considered measures to cut costs. However, councillors meeting to discuss the budget this week decided to postpone any decision on its future until next year.

Chef Paul Heathcote has announced plans for a new Olive Press restaurant in Clitheroe. It will cost over £1 million and will be able to accommodate around 100 diners. The new restaurant will be situated on York Street and is expected to open in April. The Bolton-born chef already operates Olive Press restaurants in Preston, Warrington, Bolton, Liverpool and Manchester.