MANY of Dorset's leading food and drink producers and representatives of the hotel and catering industry were at Herrison Hall, Charlton Down, last week for the third annual Blackmore Vale Media Taste of Dorset food and drink awards.

This was a new venue for the awards night, and everyone agreed the spectacular Victorian ballroom of the former mental hospital, was a wonderful setting for a celebration of some of the finest food and drink made, sold and served across Dorset.

The evening, attended by sponsors led by principal sponsors Humphries Kirk Solicitors, finalists, families, friends, and special guests including the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Dorset Commander Rupert Best and the doyenne of Italian cookery writers, Anna Del Conte, was particularly good for the BVM's "home village" of Stalbridge with two of the village's best known businesses taking the major awards at the beginning and end of the evening.

Sue Fudge of Fudges Bakery won the BVM's Harmsworth Award for the outstanding contribution to food in Dorset, and Andy Dike of Dike's Superstore won the new Best Independent Food Store award, sponsored by the Taste of Dorset's principal sponsors Humphries Kirk Solicitors, and selected from the winners of the Best Butcher, Best Greengrocer and Best Deli or General Stores.

But the awards were spread right across the county and there was a particularly warm response to the announcement of the Best Restaurant - Arthur and Jan Watson of The Riverside at West Bay, are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Watson family running the waterside seafood restaurant, and it seemed fitting that they should win the award this year. The Riverside won the Best Restaurant in the inaugural Taste of Dorset awards in 2008.

The other major awards went to Jude and Mike Lewin of The Chetnole Inn for Best Dining Pub, Aidan and Lisa Chapman's Phoenix Bakery for Best Dorset Bakery, Tom Vickers and Fiona Pink of Pinks Organics, winners of the new Innovation Award, with a special Innovation award to Lisa Harris, whose Cupcake Theatre business creates stunningly beautiful vegan cakes, Graham Wiffen of The Hive Beach Cafe at Burton Bradstock, winner of the Best Seafood category, Kimmeridge farming family GWR Hole for Best Meat producer, Hazel and Peter Hartle of Purbeck Ice Cream for Best Dairy Product, The Fox & Hounds at Cattistock for Best Public House, Nigel Green of Dorset Coffee Co for Best Dorset Drinks Producer, Kate and Gordon Sutherland of Moreton Tea Rooms for Best Tea Room, Simon and Victoria Holland of Washingpool for Best Farm Shop, and Bridport for Best Local Food Town or Village.

Editor Fanny Charles, who hosted the evening, with Taste of Dorset organiser Gail Stevens, praised the inventiveness and hard work of farmers and food businesses in what had been a very hard year for everyone.

"We had almost 5,000 nominations, and nearly 1,000 businesses nominated in the different classes, literally from one side of Dorset to the other - from Halstock to Highcliffe, from Cranborne to Uplyme.

"One of our new awards this year is for Innovation - we had a huge response with 27 different businesses nominated. We were looking for products that were launched in the year up to June, and the variety and quality of the nominations was amazing. Bagels, beer, sausages, savoury preserves, ice cream, tea, goats meat, rapeseed oil, cupcakes.

"You could not have better evidence of the strength of the food industry in Dorset than this list of exciting, inventive, mouth- watering products.

"Dorset businesses are working together - these food awards are just one example of how we can all help each other. Another project is Dorset's Famous Five, the brainchild of Joanne Myram, the managing director of Positive PR, one of the awards' new sponsors. The Famous Five are Clipper, Denhay, Dorset Cereals, Hall & Woodhouse and Olives Et Al."

The evening began with loud applause for Olives Et Al, which the previous night won a special Great Taste Award for Best Speciality Importer.

Fanny announced a new class for 2011, for the best food festival and food fair in Dorset, which will be judged throughout the year, starting with last weekend's Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival .

Full results with finalists: Best Independent Food Shop sponsored by Humphries Kirk:

Butcher. Adrian Curtis, Marnhull; Roger Else, Stalbridge; Rawles of Bridport. Greengrocer. Bridget's Market, Bridport; Fruit and Two Veg, Beaminster; Root and Vine, Sturminster Newton. General Store/Deli. Robin Hill Stores, Marnhull; Dikes, Stalbridge; The Fridge, Dorchester.

Best Restaurant sponsored by Princecroft Willis: La Fosse, Cranborne; Riverside Restaurant, West Bay; Summer Lodge, Evershot.

Best Dining Pub sponsored by Lagan Farm and Orchard Park: Acorn Inn, Evershot; Chetnole Inn, Chetnole; The Anchor, Shapwick.

Best Public House sponsored by Oxfords Bakery and Fudges: Blackmore Vale Inn, Marnhull; Fox and Hounds, Cattistock; Halsey Arms, Pulham.

Dorset Dairy Champion sponsored by Gillingham and Shaftesbury Agricultural Society: Cheese. Denhay Cheddar, Dorset Blue Vinny, Woolsery Cheese. Dairy. Barford Farmhouse Ice Cream, Purbeck Ice Cream, Craigs Farm Dairy.

Best Dorset Drinks Producer sponsored by Blackmore Press: Alcoholic. Hall & Woodhouse, Blandford St Mary; Palmers Brewery, Bridport; Piddle Brewery, Piddlehinton. Non-Alcoholic. Clipper Teas, Beaminster; Dorset Coffee Company, Bockhampton; Dorset Tea, Wimborne.

Best Stallholder at a Farmers' or Producers' Market sponsored by Cornucopia Event Hire and Barford Ice Cream: Mere Fish Farm, Mere; Dorset Down Mushroom, Poyntington; L&C Game, Buckland Newton.

Best Meat Producer sponsored by Symonds and Sampson and Bridport Pies: GWR Hole and Sons, Wareham; Home Farm, Tarrant Gunville; Wyld Meadow Farm, Monkton Wyld.

Best Tea Room sponsored by Positive PR: Clavells Tea Rooms, Kimmeridge; Horse with Red Umbrella, Dorchester; Moreton Tea Rooms, Moreton.

Best Farm Shop sponsored by Palmers Brewery: Green Valley Farm Shop, Godmanstone; Udder Farm Shop, East Stour; Washingpool Farm Shop, North Allington.

Innovation Award sponsored by Hall & Woodhouse: Cupcake Theatre, Bournemouth; Dorset Tea, Wimborne; Pinks Organics, Hermitage.

Best Bakery Producer sponsored by Clipper Teas: Bakery or Patisserie. Leakers Bakery, Bridport; Long Crichel Bakery, Long Crichel; Phoenix Bakery, Weymouth. Biscuits or Cakes. Cake Heaven, Bournemouth; Homemade by Lizzie and Bekki, Upwey; Moores Biscuits, Bridport.

Best Seafood Business sponsored by Summer Lodge: Seafood Cafe/Fish and Chip Cafe. Crab House Cafe, Wyke Regis; Hive Beach Cafe, Burton Bradstock; West Beach Cafe, Bournemouth. Seafood Stall/Fishmonger: Bells Fish, Wimborne; Samways, West Bay; Seafoods of Stalbridge.

Best Local Food Town or Village sponsored by Honey- buns and Washing pool Farm: Bridport, Sherborne, Sturminster Newton.

Harmsworth Award for Outstanding Contribution to Food in Dorset: Aidan Chapman, Amanda Streatfeild, Sue Fudge