Comrade Bill on Waitrose awards shortlist

April 20, 2007: Bartrams Brewery, of Bury St Edmunds, is one of three finalists in the drinks category of the prestigious Waitrose Small Producers Awards with its Comrade Bill Bartrams Egalitarian Anti Imperialist Soviet Stout.

There are five categories in the awards: dairy and ice cream, drinks, fresh produce, grocery and bakery, and fruit and vegetables.

The winner of each category, along with the supreme champion (chosen from the five category winners), will be announced at the Royal Show in Warwickshire on July 3. Each category winner will receive £5,000, with the supreme champion winning a further £5,000. Presentations will be made by Steven Esom, managing director of Waitrose.

Batrams Brewery was established by Marc Bartram in 1999 and is home to a range of award-winning products, including Captains Stout, Cherry Stout, Stingo and Coal Porter.

Robbie James, local and regional buyer for Waitrose, said: “Waitrose launched the Small Producers Awards six years ago with the aim of reconnecting customers with regional foods in their area, highlighting the excellent quality produce available, and honouring the hard work and innovation of Britain’s small producers.

“It is always a pleasure seeing the passion and expertise that entrants have. We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the variety of products and their backgrounds, meeting the producers and, not least, tasting lots of high quality innovative local foods.

"This year’s entries have been of a very high standard and it’s great to see such a diverse range of products in the final round of judging – from top quality Indian food produced in South Wales to superb Suffolk stout!"

Three further awards will be announced at the Royal Show in July, all aimed at celebrating Britain’s wealth of food expertise and quality production. Finalists have the option of entering The Financial Mail on Sunday’s Business Award, allowing them a chance to win a further £5,000 prize to invest in their business. BBC Good Food Magazine is looking for the best independent food shop, and the best Young Farmer Producer Award is presented in association with Farmers Guardian. There is again a £5,000 award for each of these categories.