Chapel Down Winery, at Tenterden Vineyard, Small Hythe, was named winner of the A Flavour of the South East category, receiving its accolade as the region’s best at a glittering awards ceremony in October. Oxfordshire-based Foxbury Farm Butchery and Shop was named Runner-Up in category.

The ‘A Flavour of the South East’ category was specially introduced by Tourism South East, which runs the annual awards, to recognise the importance of local produce to the tourism industry in the region. Open to food and drinks producers, caterers, restaurants, suppliers and all organisations offering such local produce the award reflects the growing demand amongst visitors for locally-sourced food and drink – and the quality and range on offer in the region.

Judges praised many aspects of Chapel Down Winery’s operation, customer service and innovation, saying: “From the very first impressions on arrival through the tour itself this was a high quality experience. Even the most discerning of customers would find something irresistible in the shop and virtually everything was locally sourced….quite an achievement.”

Chapel Down was also praised for its innovative marketing ideas and the quality of its brand. It was the first ever English producer win a Gold Medal for sparkling wine at The International Wine Challenge. Chapel Down sources its grapes from 180 acres across the South East, including 22 acres at Tenterden. Its wines are sold through internationally-recognised retail, restaurant and hotel outlets.

Tourism South East Managing Director Bob Collier said: “Winning this category doesn’t just reflect the excellence of products and customer service but an entire tourism offering. The high quality, welcoming atmosphere that has been created at Chapel Down, excellent innovation, and of course the outstanding food and drink offering through locally-sourced produce, have all been vital to Chapel Down being rewarded as an outstanding business.”

Innovations include offering comprehensive vineyard and winery tours and free assisted tastings, and in recent times developing a high quality weddings business (the Winery has a civil ceremony licence) and corporate business. Food tastings, beer festivals, ‘Meet the Producer’ events and many other events have added to the overall visitor experience.

Foxbury Farm Butchery and Shop, in Brize Norton, Oxon, has previously won numerous awards for its outstanding food, including BPEX Gold Awards for many of its meat products and MTJ/Smithfield England’s Top Farm Shop in 2005. Judges praised recent innovations and improvements including extending its range and facilities and working with local primary schools to introduce a more nutritional, quality school meal that still meets budget constraints. Foxbury has also become the biggest meat supplier to the Ethical Food Company

Chapel Down Winery beat off stiff competition to win the ‘A Flavour of the South East’ category in the Tourism ExSEllence Awards 2006. Entrants to the awards covered the huge Tourism South East region, which stretches far afield from Kent through Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and across to North Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

Television personality Angela Rippon presented awards across 14 categories at the Tourism ExSEllence Awards, attended by more than 200 representatives from the region’s tourism industry. The Tourism ExSEllence Awards 2006 are sponsored by EDF Energy, one of the UK’s largest energy companies supplying gas and electricity to more than five million consumers, as well as Take One Media, the South East Food Group Partnership and The Visitor Network.

For more infromation visit www.visitsoutheastengland.com or www.chapeldownwines.co.uk