Afternoon Tea of the Year Award Archives

Garden Centre Catering Awards 2023

Tipiak was delighted to sponsor the Afternoon Tea of the Year Award in the Garden Centre Catering Awards 2023.

Congratulations to St Peter’s Garden Centre near Worcester which took top slot for their afternoon tea.

Other winners were Thetford Garden Centre in Norfolk, which was named Independent Garden Centre Caterer of the Year, Bosworth Garden Centre Company in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, which was Group Garden Centre Caterer of the Year, and Tong Garden Centre Catering in Bradford, which was the winner of the Sustainability Award.

“All award competitions are interesting, but few are as enjoyable as this one, which has offered endless opportunities to spend sunny (and some rainy) days examining – and sampling – the truly imaginative fare that is now the hallmark of so many garden centres,” said Val Hirst, editor of Garden Centre Catering magazine.

“With entries arriving from every size of centre, including the larger chains and the more modestly sized independents and from companies with multiple outlets to those with just two or three, the judges were faced with a plethora of choice at every stage and in every category.

Award criteria

“Ultimately, we were looking to reward cafés and restaurants where everything came together as part of a cohesive whole. In the first instance, ambience was important. This meant attractive décor, comfortable seating, pleasing views and good facilities in the way of parking, toilets, highchairs and outdoor eating opportunities.

“And obviously, the food had to pass muster too. Extra points were awarded for more adventurous menu options, together with the provision of plant-based and gluten free dishes, perfect presentation and excellent cooking skills. And, needless to say, the warmth of the welcome and the overall efficiency of the catering service were regarded as other vital attributes.

“However, there’s no point in having the perfect venue if no one knows about it, so promotional efforts were also taken into consideration, as was the provision of extra events and services.”

The Garden Centre Catering Awards will return next year, with more details available in Spring 2024.

Tipiak offers a wide range of sweet and savoury pâtisserie for garden centre cafés and restaurants. Take a look at the range here.

Check out more information about the Garden Centre Catering Awards here.

Afternoon tea, Afternoon Tea of the Year Award, Catering, frozen patisserie, Garden Centre Catering Awards, garden centres, patisserie, St Peter's Garden Centre, Tipiak, Worcester Read more...

Tipiak sponsors Afternoon Tea of the Year Award

Pâtisserie specialist Tipiak is sponsoring the Afternoon Tea of the Year Award at the Garden Centre Catering Awards 2023.

The awards are run by Garden Centre Catering magazine and are open to all garden centres and nurseries in the UK with a food and drink offering.

Marie-Emmanuelle Chessé, Tipiak’s international development project manager, said: “Tipiak specialises in supplying frozen, authentic sweet and savoury pâtisserie to the hospitality sector in the UK.

“Our exquisitely French ‘thaw and serve’ macarons, petits fours, pop éclairs and canapés are the ideal ingredients for afternoon tea. They simply need thawing before serving – helping garden centres, farm shops, hotels and other venues to easily offer delicious French pâtisserie.

“Afternoon tea has become a popular occasion, as a celebration or for customers wanting to treat themselves. As such, we know that many garden centres offer a super afternoon tea selection.

“We are excited that Tipiak is the sponsor of the Afternoon Tea of the Year Award and look forward to being involved in the event.”

Awards

As well as Afternoon Tea of the Year, the awards are also looking to reward the Independent Garden Centre Caterer of the Year and the Garden Centre Catering Group of the Year. A Sustainability Award is also available.

“This is the chance for garden centre catering operators to put themselves forward to get well-deserved recognition,” said Bryony Reid, editor of Garden Centre Catering. “Each category has a chance to acknowledge the effort from catering groups as well as caterers either new to the industry or not as well-known.”

The Garden Centre Catering Awards are free to enter for both independent garden centres and group garden centres.

Visit https://www.gardencentrecateringawards.co.uk/ for more details and to enter.

Nominations close on 1st September 2023.

To browse the selection of authentic afternoon tea ‘thaw and serve’ products offered by Tipiak to the UK food service sector, click here.