Brassica and Rise shortlisted for Food Lifestyle Awards

A Beaminster chef has been shortlisted for Chef of the Year and Bridport bakery Rise has been shortlisted for an Outstanding Retail Experience in this year's Food Lifestyle Awards.

The awards celebrate the south west’s best chefs, restaurants, dining pubs, foodie hotels, drinks products, farm shops and more.

The winners will be revealed in a ceremony on Friday, September 30, at Nancarrow Farm near Truro.

Cass Titcombe, 54, owner and chef-director of Brassica Restaurant and Forno in Beaminster, is in the running for Chef of the Year.

Mr Titcombe said: "I knew we had been nominated last month.

"Then we found out I had been shortlisted the other day.

"The restaurant was shortlisted for a Trencherman's Award last year, so it is great to be recognised and it all helps in tough times.

"It is rewarding, it means all the hard work is paying off."

Brassica is a family-run business in Beaminster.

The popular restaurant serves Italian-style cuisine with a menu that changes a little each day.

Mr Titcombe added: "We have a small menu, which changes a bit every day, it is constantly evolving.

"We focus on Italian-inspired dishes and most of our meat and vegetables are sourced locally and are organic.

"We change the menu so often because the small producers we use may not always have the same stock, so we do it based on that.

"It is quite fun to do as a chef. We have quite a small team, centred around our family. My partner runs everything and my daughter is the restaurant manager.

"I hope we can bring it home for Dorset."

Also in west Dorset, Rise Market and Bakery in Bridport was nominated for the Outstanding Retail Experience Award.

Rise Bakery and Market in Bridport (Image: Rise Bakery and Market)

Nikki Craven, one of the directors, said: "We are so proud to have been nominated and for our loyal customers to have kindly voted for us.

"It's so good to know that our own delicious bakery produce and carefully curated local produce and gifts resonates with our regular customers and south coast visitors." 

Sarah Puddy, the manager of Rise, said: "It is so exciting to be put forward for this award, we pride ourselves on the products and local produce we stock and the relationships we make with our customers, we want shopping with us to be an experience to be enjoyed and remembered.”