Cateys 2001: The nominations

What does AMPAS mean to you? Not much, I suspect, until it's explained. AMPAS stands for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and it's the organisation that administers the US film industry's Oscars which are now in their 72^nd year. The Cateys are in only their 18th year, but they are often referred to as the "Oscars" of the catering and hospitality industry. And it is true that there are similarities. In the same way that most people have forgotten that AMPAS runs the Oscars, it is often forgotten that the name "Cateys" is an abbreviation for the Caterer & Hotelkeeper Awards. So well-established are they, and so highly regarded, that the industry has assumed "ownership" of Caterer's Cateys. This is fine - it's very gratifying that the magazine's awards have become such an established part of the industry.

But with this sense of ownership comes a responsibility. While Caterer organises the various categories, administers the judging and plans the awards ceremony, it is up to the industry to nominate the candidates. In other words, it is up to you.

The process is easy. All you have to do is provide the names and a short supporting statement - the rest is done for you.

The Caterer editorial team and consultant Arthur Andersen research the names submitted on the nomination form. This provides a fair comparison of each candidate when they are discussed by the judging panels, which, incidentally, are made up of appropriate experts from the industry.

British hospitality has much to be proud of, and we must all know of at least one person who is worthy of nomination this year. Who knows, the person (or persons) that you single out for recognition at this stage might even find themselves a member of the CWROH (that's the Catey Winners Roll of Honour).

Now, get to it; start nominating!

It's really easy to nominate somebody for a Catey Award. Simply print off a copy of the nomination form, fill it in and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. Closing dates for all but the Best Independent Marketing Campaign and Best Group Marketing Campaign awards is March 2 2001.

Nominations are slightly different for the Best Independent Marketing Campaign and Best Group Marketing Campaign Cateys. They are self-nomination awards and if you wish to enter you need to contact Sarah Sutton and request a special entry form. Call her on 020 8652 8349 or e-mail her at Sarah.Sutton@rbi.co.uk. Closing date for these awards is 30 March.

The judges unanimously agreed that Coniston Hall Lodge and Restaurant was a true newcomer in every sense of the word when they chose it as winner of the 2000 Newcomer of the Year title. Not only is it a new building, built on former farmland, but its owners, the Bannister family, are newcomers to the hospitality industry who have succeeded in carving out a previously unexploited niche in the mid-range hotels market.

The Catey judges were particularly impressed with the bravery and financial commitment of the Bannisters in taking on such a difficult project. As Jeremy Logie, chairman of the Joint Hospitality Industry Congress, said: "There can be no better genuine newcomer than this one. They've done something particularly tough and done it very well, and it captures the whole spirit of this award."

The 40-bedroom, lodge-style hotel near Skipton, North Yorkshire, opened on time and on budget in December 1998. Accolades came thick and fast, and soon after its launch it picked up the Newcomer of the Year award from the Yorkshire Tourist Board and an AA rosette at the first inspection of its food in May 1999. Comments in its guest book included: "Excellent hotel with gorgeous grounds" and "definitely worth a second visit". One guest said that the reception staff were "probably the best" they had ever encountered.

Such success was quickly reflected in the hotel's financial results. In the first year trading was 20% ahead of a budget the Bannisters themselves described as "ambitious".

In addition to its 40 bedrooms, Coniston Hall offers corporate entertainment, fishing, shooting, archery and even off-road driving. It has a bar, a 65-seat bistro called Winston's and a 90-seat restaurant. At the time of winning the award the basic rack rate was £59.95. This has since increased to £65.

Stephen Mulligan, regional vice-president of Bass Hotels & Resorts, summed up the thoughts of all the judges when he said the family had "very courageously identified a niche in the budget sector which is very different from the Posthouse-style concept".

Also applauded by the judges was the Bannisters' use of government grants and assistance to get the business off the ground. The project won funding from the Government's Objective 5B initiative, designed to provide assistance to new businesses in areas where employment was traditionally in the farming industry.

Winning last year's Catey was "a great booster" to the Bannister family, says Michael Bannister. "We have had tremendous feedback from our customers and clients and we have been recognised for our efforts," he says.

Who would you like to see win the 2001 Newcomer of the Year Catey?

As well as the criteria outlined below, the winner or winners must be an inspiration to other newcomers, the sort of person or people who will show the hospitality industry to be a thriving career option, offering real opportunities for success and recognition. If you know a potential winner or winners, nominate them by printing off the nomination form and faxing it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8972 or e-mailing her your nomination on Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk.. Any support material in the form of menus, brochures or a statement of no more than 200 words will help the judges. The closing date for nominations is Friday 2 March and judging will take place at the Grosvenor House hotel in London on Monday 30 April. Click here to see previous winners

This award is open to all entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry who have seized an opportunity and made a name for themselves.

The winner will:

• Run a business that will have been operating for fewer than three years on 3 July 2001.
• Have established a reputation for quality, service and good food.

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No one seemed more surprised than Elaine Clarke when her name was announced as winner of the Manager of the Year award at last year's Cateys. But others were already aware of her achievements as managing director of Baa Bar, an independent chain of café-bars in Liverpool.

One of those people was North-west property developer Tom Bloxham, who nominated Clarke for the award. "Elaine is a dedicated and professional businesswoman who, through visionary marketing, adept financial control and highly developed personnel skills has achieved unparalleled success," he says.

Clarke won the award primarily because she appreciates that good managers have to wear several different hats. On the one hand they look after the money: they work budgets, watch the turnover, check suppliers, and monitor wage percentages and gross profits. On the other hand, they look after people. They need to build and nurture a team of staff around them: a team that works well together, made up of people who enjoy their jobs and hopefully can climb the ladder and become managers themselves.

By combining these two essential roles, Clarke succeeded in turning the original Baa Bar into one of the Liverpool's hottest nightspots, which has been able to retain its status in what is now a fast-growing market.

Clarke learnt by experience rather than qualifications. By the age of 23 she was the manager of the company's second outlet, Café Tabac in the city centre, and had notched up seven years' full-time experience in the hospitality industry.

With her financial hat on, Clarke has proved herself a formidable businesswoman. Baa Bar suffered falling sales through 1998, yet it broke all turnover records in 1999, notching up a 25% increase in sales against 1998 and a 14% increase against 1997. Total turnover easily broke the £3m barrier for the first time.

As a people manager, Clarke has also proved her worth. As judge Neal Martin, director of hotel services and entertainment for P&O Cruises, said: "She has a very high degree of staff management skills in her bar. It's obvious a lot of work has gone into her staff."

In 1999, for example, she introduced a new human resources policy that restructured management hierarchies and brought in definite training plans for all employees. "This initiative is proving to be a tremendous success," says nominator Bloxham. "Management and staff morale has never been higher, and considerable gains in productivity and quality have been achieved through the clear definition of roles and the setting of attainable and rewarding goals for full-time staff."

All of these factors contributed to Clarke's success at the Cateys last year. If you know of anyone who has achieved similar high standards, now is the time to send in your nomination for the 2001 Manager of the Year award. Candidates can come from any sector of the industry, but the judges will be looking for someone who, like Clarke, can demonstrate good people-management skills as well as a sound financial record.

If you know a potential winner or winners, nominate them by printing off the nomination form and faxing it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8972 or e-mailing her your nomination on Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. Any support material in the form of menus, brochures or a statement of no more than 200 words will help the judges. Closing date for nominations is 2 March and judging will take place at the Grosvenor House hotel in London on Monday 30 April. Click here to see previous winners

The winning candidate for the Manager of the Year award will:

• Demonstrate proven success in managing and developing a team in the workplace
• Have established a good financial track record.
• Have proved their worth, over and above their job description, particularly in the past year.

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The luxurious, 60-bedroom Chewton Glen in New Milton, Hampshire, is a hard act to follow. And the fact that the hotel's managing director, Peter Crome, scooped last year's Hotelier of the Year title to add to the Independent Hotel of the Year Catey will no doubt make many hoteliers despair of being nominated for the 2001 award.

But they shouldn't be daunted. Past winners have been as diverse as the intimate 14-bedroom Northcote Manor in Langho, near Blackburn, and the 225-bedroom Crieff Hydro in Tayside, complete with cinema and golf course. What they all have in common, however, is a high standard of service and facilities within their own market. They make guests feel at home and keep them coming back.

Chewton Glen's owner, Martin Skan, hits the nail on the head when he says that what sets a good independent hotel apart from the crowd is its personal touch. "We make people feel they are important, not just numbers. There's an old adage which says the best hotel is where you are best known."

At Chewton Glen, Skan's policy of ensuring personalised service means that all guests are greeted in the car park on arrival by both a receptionist and a porter. "When they are greeted by name it makes guests feel important, and if something goes wrong they forgive," he says.

This is rare in a world where frantic acquisition and expansion means hotel groups are replicating their product around the world and in many people's eyes becoming ever more impersonal. With an average achieved room rate at Chewton Glen of £249 and a pre-tax profit in 1999 of £1.3m off a turnover of £7.4m, Skan's policy is clearly one that pays off.

Certainly, this Catey is not just about running a glamorous hotel. It's also about running a successful business. And most of the past winners have invested significantly to improve their facilities. At Chewton Glen, for instance, Skan and his wife, Brigitte, chose to sacrifice 12 bedrooms to make larger rooms and bathrooms. In Skan's book, "space is luxury" and he is always striving to make his guests more comfortable.

No wonder, then, that last year's judges singled out Chewton Glen for being an example of the best that independent hotels can offer. They recognised that the Skans have not only created a successful five-star retreat, but also strived to keep up and improve standards at a hotel that is now used as a benchmark by others in the industry.

It is a daunting act to follow, but remember that hotels of any market sector can be nominated for this award. What the judges demand, however, is a hotel that dedicates itself to achieving and maintaining excellent standards within its chosen market. Like the Skans, the winner this year should be able to inspire others in the industry.

To nominate a property for Independent Hotel of the Year, print out the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8654 8973, or e-mail her on Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. A supporting statement of no more than 200 words will help your candidate's cause.

The closing date for nominations is 2 March, and judging will take place at the Millennium Britannia hotel, London, on Thursday 10 May. Click here to see previous winners

The Independent Hotel of the Year will be an independent business of three units or fewer, wholly owned and operated by its owner. It will be:

• Any size, category or market level.
• Showing excellence in its chosen market.
• A successful business.
• An example to which others can aspire.
• Able to demonstrate particular achievements in the past year.

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When the judges sat down to decide who would win last year's Group Hotel of the Year Catey, they were looking for a successful business able to demonstrate a consistently high level of service.

They wanted to find a hotel that, within its chosen market, was a model of the very best the industry can offer. Regardless of its star rating or rack rate, the property had to be spotlessly clean, its staff had to be friendly and welcoming at all times and, in terms of service, it had to outshine all of its competitors. The winner, London's Berkeley hotel, fitted the bill perfectly.

In the words of judge Terry Holmes, executive director of the Stafford in London, it was "difficult to say anything but good about it".

The judges also recognised that it was difficult to stay at the top, particularly during uncertain times, such as company takeovers. Yet when the Berkeley's parent company, the Savoy Group, was taken over by the US-based Blackstone Group in 1998, the hotel continued to improve its standards. Some judges even suggested that the Knightsbridge hotel had shown itself more resilient than its sister hotels, the Savoy and Claridge's, behind which it was previously thought to trail.

The Catey judges weren't the only people singing the praises of the Berkeley. Last year's AA Hotel Guide described it as "the benchmark for the very best in hotelkeeping and service".

The 168-bedroom hotel is now one of the better-performing properties in the Savoy Group, having seen occupancy levels increase from 66.2% in 1994 to 83% in 1999, and revenue per available room rise from £130 to £245. General manager Jean-Jacques Pergant, who has been in his post since 1994, has been described as the driving force behind "a style and level of service not often found these days in London". The judges noted that he keeps his staff well motivated and that he managed the hotel with a steady hand during the change of ownership.

Pergant remembers winning last year's award with affection. He says: "I was really, really delighted for my staff, because I am blessed with incredible staff. Their attitude is always so positive." And he adds: "It has challenged us, because we have been put on a pinnacle and now we have to work hard to stay there."

Previous winners of the Group Hotel of the Year title have included the Berkeley's sister hotel, the Savoy. Here, general manager Ramón Pajares succeeded in reinventing the hotel through an £18m restoration and refurbishment programme, while at the same time maintaining its five-star standards and service. But remember, this is not just an award for five-star hotels. The winner in 1999, for example, was the Travel Inn at County Hall in London, which impressed the judges with its fantastic value for money and outstanding occupancy levels.

If you would like to nominate a property for the 2001 Group Hotel of the Year award, please print out the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973, or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this will help the judges during their deliberations. Closing date for nominations is Friday 2 March and judging will take place on Thursday 10 May at London's Millennium Britannia hotel. Click here to see previous winners

The Group Hotel of the Year category is open to any group hotel of any size, and at any market level that demonstrates:

• Excellence in its chosen market.
• Consistency of product and service.
• Success as a business.
• Particular achievements in the past year.

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Andrew Radford, proprietor of the two restaurants Atrium and Blue in Edinburgh and winner of the Independent Restaurateur Catey last year, had what could diplomatically be called mixed fortunes in 2000. Winning the Catey was one of the good parts, but less enjoyable was the difficult decision to close his former Glasgow restaurant after the business failed to live up to expectations.

It demonstrates the potential perils for even the most gifted of independent restaurateurs in a market that can be harsh and unforgiving. Last year another former winner of this Catey, Terry Laybourne, proprietor of 21 Queen Street in Newcastle, decided that his restaurant, too, could no longer continue and be commercially successful. So it was that Newcastle's only Michelin-starred restaurant became the bistro Café 21 in September, serving simpler but more profitable food.

Perhaps the unifying factor for both Radford and Laybourne is their resilience. Both have dealt with their problems and come out the other side in a position to put things right. For Radford and his wife, Lisa, this involved selling the Glasgow restaurant in December and concentrating on their Edinburgh operations before considering where to expand next. Despite such a difficult 2000, Radford is already talking of the possibility of another Blue in Edinburgh.

This ability to bounce back from reverses is one of the many qualities that the judges will be looking at when they consider who will win this Catey in 2001. Winners in previous years have included Annie and Germain Schwab from Winteringham Fields in Lincolnshire, who won in 1999, and Paul Heathcote in 1997. To these two you can add Sally Clarke (1995), Terence Conran and Joel Kissin (1994), the Roux brothers (1985 and 1988), the McCoys (1990), together with Christopher Corbin and Jeremy King (1993). Just reading the list will give you an idea of the quality required.

One of the things they all share, above and beyond being excellent restaurateurs, is that they give much more to the industry than their restaurants alone. Radford, for example, was a founder member of the Scottish Chefs Association. He was involved in setting up Natural Cooking of Scotland, which promotes Scottish food, and has been involved in the American Express Young Chef/Young Waiter competition, seen by the industry as one of the most influential for up-and-coming talent. For the other recent winners, Annie Schwab and Terry Laybourne, their contributions to life beyond their restaurants were acknowledged when they were both appointed MBE.

But if a list of previous winners like this seems difficult to emulate, don't let that stop you nominating someone you feel may be suitable for the award. To put forward your candidate, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973, or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. It would be very helpful if you could enclose a supporting statement of no more than 200 words.

You could certainly make someone happy. Radford says that last year's award "was a huge surprise and particularly moving in that it came in a year when the restaurant in Glasgow was not doing well. That made it a particularly emotional award for us."

Closing date for nominations is 2 March and judging will take place at London's Berkeley hotel on Wednesday 2 May. Click here to see previous winners

• Candidates must demonstrate the ability to combine flair and innovation with good business acumen.
• They must be setting standards to which others can aspire.
• They should be making a valuable contribution to the restaurant industry, either by lobbying on its behalf or developing links with colleagues, or by making a mark in other ways.

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"A great ambassador for the industry, with a great story", was how the Catey judges summed up Simon Woodroffe when they named him Group Restaurateur of the Year 2000. It was well-deserved praise for Woodroffe, a former rock concert set designer who, in just three years, has firmly established his Yo! Sushi chain of restaurants in London.

Woodroffe entered the volatile London restaurant market in 1997. At that time the appeal of sushi was small, but Woodroffe's conveyor-belt bars helped awaken a taste for Japanese food among the British public and sparked off a trend in eating out.

This original thinking was picked out for particular praise by the panel of judges, which included Financial Times food writer Nick Lander; John Barnes, executive chairman of Harry Ramsden's; and David Chambers, chef-director of Rules restaurant in London.

Said one judge: "He broke the ground bringing sushi here. He is certainly daring, for if someone had mentioned the idea four or five years ago, you would have thought he was mad. Conveyor belts and sushi? But it works. He did something that no one else has done, and that was to bring sushi to the masses."

Woodroffe joins other high-profile winners of the Group Restaurateur Award, such as Adam and Sam Kaye, founders of the Ask pizza and pasta chain; and Neville Abraham and Laurence Isaacson, who established Groupe Chez Gérard. The Kaye brothers were honoured for their achievement in building their chain from scratch and firmly establishing the Ask name in just six years. Isaacson and Abraham impressed the judging panel with the way they had been able to expand their chain successfully while maintaining standards.

Other recent winners include Jeremy Mogford of Browns, David Page of PizzaExpress, John Barnes of Harry Ramsden's, and Roger Myers of the Pelican group. But being well-known is not essential. Nominations are invited from all sectors of the industry, be they roadside restaurants, Continental-style café-bars, upmarket eateries or US-style diners.

The winner must be able to demonstrate sound marketing skills, well thought-out systems, consistency of food and service, and profits to prove the success of the concept. What is certain is that the winner will have made a recent impact on Britain's group restaurant scene.

To nominate someone for Group Restaurateur of the Year, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. Closing date for nominations is Friday 2 March and judging will take place at the Berkeley hotel, London, on Wednesday 2 May. Previous winners

• The Group Restaurateur of the Year award is open to individuals who have made their mark in running system-led companies, operating branded and themed restaurants.
• The judges will place particular emphasis on the demonstration of marketing skills and the consistent delivery of food and service.

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The Best Independent Marketing Campaign award is for individual businesses that don't have the big budgets or huge marketing teams enjoyed by some of their larger rivals in the industry. It's an award for businesses that have to rely on their own initiative and personal flair to get customers through the doors.

Last year's winner, the Royal College of Physicians, entered with a campaign costing just £39,900. But the judges were impressed by its innovation, clear financial targets and the fact that it "got the message across".

The aim of the campaign was to increase revenues from conferences and banqueting from external clients by 20% in a year. In fact, the college exceeded its targets, with an overall increase of 34% between 1998 and 1999. It also established a solid business base for 2000, more than doubling the number of weekend events from 17 to 38.

The college's campaign, which included themed brochures and advertisements, focused on the 480-year history of its Grade I-listed building overlooking Regent's Park in central London. Said one judge: "They capitalised on their product and history and prestige, and they turned it around and got their message across." Another judge added: "From the outset, they gave clear financial targets for what they wanted to achieve, and what they did was really innovative for a body that has been going for 400 to 500 years."

What also impressed the judges was the research that went into the college's campaign. First, it carried out a study comparing its own conference and banqueting services with those of its competitors in London, so it knew where to position itself in the market. Further findings indicated that it needed to target its marketing at certain professions and industry groups. The college then held three hospitality evenings for potential clients, which resulted in a stream of enquiries and several confirmed bookings.

By winning the Best Independent Marketing Campaign award, the college entered such hallowed company as Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire and the Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey. But past winners have also included relatively unsung, smaller businesses, such as the Gibbon Bridge hotel in Lancashire and the Weavers Shed restaurant near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

As the Best Independent Marketing Campaign Catey is a self-nomination award, you need to contact Sarah Sutton and request a special entry form. Call her on 020 8652 8349 or e-mail her at Sarah.Sutton@rbi.co.uk. Deadline for the marketing awards is Friday 30 March. Judging will take place at 1 Whitehall Place in London on Wednesday 25 April. Click here to see previous winners

• Businesses nominate themselves for the Best Independent Marketing Campaign award, rather than being put forward by a third party.
• To qualify for the award, the business must be a single-unit hotel, pub, restaurant or other catering outlet directly controlled by the owner.
• Individual outlets belonging to chains are not eligible. However, individually owned hotels that are members of consortia may enter.

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"Trail-blazing stuff, full of razzmatazz." That's what the judges of last year's Best Group Marketing Campaign Award thought of the entry from the Debenhams Food Services group.

The brief for Debenhams' £400,000 campaign was to make the department store's restaurants the first choice for both Debenhams shoppers and non-Debenhams users when they were out shopping with children.

Its target was for these parents to make more than half-a-million purchases from the children's range in the first year of the campaign. To achieve this, the company froze prices on its children's menu for 12 months, and the set lunch box it previously offered was replaced by a pick-and-mix option, displayed on child-height counters.

After a period of research, 20 products were put on sale. The range included fruit, yoghurt, crisps and confectionery, and children were allowed to collect six items in a coloured cardboard lunch box. Further innovations included the introduction of half-size, half-price portions of adult meals, and a range of free baby foods that included an organic option. Free "VIP bibs" were made available, as were warming plates and complimentary bottle warmers. Youngsters were offered colouring sheets and crayons.

The marketing package included mailshots featuring free lunch-box vouchers, which were sent to mother-and-toddler groups. Debenhams also paid for a promotional campaign in Practical Parenting magazine. Restaurant staff were thoroughly trained to focus on the needs of customers with children.

The rewards of the marketing blitz were soon reaped. Lunch box sales increased by between 50% and 100% in the restaurants with the newly installed pick-and-mix option. Surveys of customers showed they were pleased with the new services on offer, and Woman magazine voted Debenhams restaurants the best places to eat out with children.

The judges last year concluded that the winning campaign was clever and well thought-out. It first identified a clear target market of young families and mothers with money to spend, then built its marketing around that. "They have set a good example for all department stores to follow in this country," said one judge.

Debenhams Food Services joins a list of past Group Marketing Campaign award winners that includes Perfect Pizza, Radisson Edwardian Hotels and Jarvis Hotels.

Nominations are now invited for the 2001 Best Group Marketing Campaign Award. Applications should show evidence of good research, intelligent application of the findings, and appropriate use of media and supporting materials. Above all, the judges will be looking for a campaign that clearly achieves its marketing objectives and can demonstrate a successful return on investment.

As the Best Group Marketing Campaign Catey is a self-nomination award, you need to contact Sarah Sutton and request a special entry form. Call her on 020 8652 8349 or e-mail her at Sarah.Sutton@rbi.co.uk. Deadline for the marketing awards is Friday 30 March. Judging will take place at 1 Whitehall Place in London on Wednesday 25 April. Click here to see previous winners

Businesses enter themselves for the Best Group Marketing Campaign award, rather than being put forward by a third party.

• To qualify, the business must be a group organisation operating more than one unit under central control but whose units are separated geographically.
• Entries can be for a single unit in a group, the group as a whole, or any part of it.

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Tantalising, innovative and cutting-edge - those were just some of words on the lips of the judges as they described the food on offer at Idaho in London's Highgate. In winning the award last year, the 150-seat restaurant joined the likes of the Box Tree in Ilkley and Taunton's Castle hotel as a recipient of the Menu of the Year Catey.

What made Idaho's menu, devised by the group's US-born executive chef, Daniel McDowell, stand out from the 12 entries for the award? In the judges' opinion, it was the fact that it offered something for everyone. Based on ingredients and dishes popular in the US south-west, the menu included dishes such as yellow corn-crusted soft-shell crab with mango and mint mojo and a cabbage and coriander slaw - a dish that particularly excited the taste-buds of the judging panel.

As well as the 11 starters, seven main courses and seven desserts, the judges were impressed by a range of side dishes (including a red onion and sage bread and butter pudding) that they considered good value for money at £2. For McDowell, the aim was to give the menu individuality despite the restaurant being part of a group, something the judges felt he achieved, since they described the dishes as "unique".

Entries for the Menu of the Year award come from Caterer & Hotelkeeper's weekly Menuwatch pages. A winning menu is chosen each month and is automatically entered for the Catey. Menu of the Month winners from the past 12 months, all of which will be considered for the 2001 Menu of the Year award, are varied in location, type of establishment and style of cuisine. Restaurants, pubs and hotels are all represented.

Some shortlisted establishments are well known throughout the industry, such as Cliveden in Taplow, Berkshire, where executive chef John Wood offers a selection of classically based dishes, sometimes with an Oriental influence courtesy of Wood's time in Hong Kong. A Trelough duck cooked three ways - including a confit of leg in an Oriental marinade of turmeric, honey, chilli, soy, coriander, cumin and cardamom - is one such dish on the Menu of the Month from May.

Others are less well-known, such as the Rouille restaurant in Hampshire, where former Raymond Blanc Scholarship winner Andrew Hollomby makes use of the abundance of local fish to create such delights as a tian of crab, chives, coriander and mayonnaise wrapped in cucumber and served with salmon caviare, a sesame tuile, brown crab sauce and crab oil.

Then there's November's winner, the Five Bells in Bedfordshire, where the aim of head chef Neil Bennett is to serve fresh produce at a reasonable price. One such dish is his tuna, marinated and spiced and served on amango and avocado salad with a trio of sauces.

US-style cuisine is represented again this year, this time by Christopher's American Bar & Grill in London, which put on a special menu for Independence Day on 4 July that included a dish of blackened salmon with paprika oil and sour cream.

In selecting a winner from the 12 shortlisted menus, the judging panel will look for evidence of innovation, value for money and the seasonal use of produce.

There's still time for your menu to be considered for the Menuwatch pages and possible inclusion in this year's Catey judging if selected as a Menu of the Month. Send your menu to Diane Lane, Assistant Chef Editor, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. Click here to see previous winners

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There was a time, not so very long ago, when the British pub was about as closely related to good food as Genghis Khan was to the peace movement. As you tucked into a pie and a pint the question was not so much if the pie tasted all right as whether it would kill you.

It's all rather different now. Last year's winner of the Catey for Pub Operator of the Year, Charles Brierley of the White Hart Inn in Lydgate, Greater Manchester, still has a menu that includes traditional food such as sausages and mash, but the sausages bear little relation to the gristle-packed skins of yesteryear.

Brierley was so obsessed with quality that he employed a butcher with the sole job of making sausages. The mashed potato isn't bad either. Another recent winner of this Catey, Paul Whittome of the Hoste Arms, Burnham Market, Norfolk, said the mash was the best he had ever tasted - no small tribute from a man who was a potato merchant before he was a publican.

But Brierley's achievement is not a blinkered pursuit of culinary excellence; it's a commercial success in a pub well off the beaten track. The White Hart, which Brierley and head chef John Rudden have run since 1994, is not exactly easy to find. One of the judges last year said a lesser pub would have failed because of the poor location.

Brierley's success has a number of ingredients. For one thing, he is a local. The White Hart was the pub in which he first drank, underage, before being thrown out. Then there is his skill as a proprietor, developed during a career in the hospitality business that included a spell at Inverlochy Castle in Scotland. And there is business acumen allied to a willingness to invest. Since buying the White Hart, Brierley and business partner Rudden have put more than £1m into it.

The latest investment was £500,000 spent on an extension into which they moved the kitchens and restaurant last May. Previously, the restaurant was on the middle floor. The change has paid off. The last six months' turnover in the restaurant is 50% up on the same period in the previous financial year and the White Hart is heading for a total turnover of £1.25m in the year ending in May. The restaurant and brasserie together can now seat 130 people. There are 12 bedrooms.

Brierley says that winning the Catey was "a huge surprise", because he didn't feel as if he had been operating the pub very long, even if it was five years. "It was obviously a great honour," he adds. "And it was something the staff really appreciated as well."

To nominate someone for Pub Operator of the Year, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. Closing date for nominations is Friday 2 March and judging will take place at the Dorchester hotel, London, on Wednesday 9 May. Click here to see previous winners 

• The Pub Operator of the Year award is open to individuals who run, own or manage a pub with a strong food element.
• The judges are looking for someone who demonstrates sound business planning combined with a good grasp of financial matters.
• Flair and innovation are also important - candidates should show imaginative use of the resources available to them.
• This award is likely to go to an individual who is not only a good host and serves good food, but also has a commitment to staff training and shows an involvement in the wider community.

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Last year's winner of the Pub Industry Catey started 2001 in typically combative mood, issuing a public challenge to two of the world's biggest high-street operators. Customers, he promised, could get a cup of coffee in one of his pubs for a third of the price they would have to pay in Starbucks, or a burger, chips and a pint for the same price as a McDonald's Quarter Pounder Meal.

It's precisely this kind of brazenness and belief in what he is selling that has driven JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin as a person, and Wetherspoon's as a chain, to the top of the industry.

One of last year's judges summed him up like this: "He's the Richard Branson of the sector, a consummate entrepreneur. In terms of his innovation and vision, he's by far the strongest candidate."

Wetherspoon's is often credited with single-handedly revolutionising the face of pub retailing in the UK. It's a revolution that started 21 years ago with one simple pub in north London boasting a proud "real-ale, no-jukebox" policy that has remained to this day.

Now the chain extends to more than 450 pubs across the UK. At the start of 2001, in addition to its coffee and burger boasts, Wetherspoon's also announced it would create 3,000 new jobs during the year by opening 110 new pubs. Martin is not a man to rest on his laurels.

In its latest annual results, the company announced a sales increase of just under £100m to almost £370m, a rise of 37% on the previous year. Operating profit increased by 34% to £54m, and profit before tax rose by 38% to more than £36m.

So why is it so successful?

One could argue that its secret is its simplicity: low prices, no music or TV, large no-smoking zones and facilities for the disabled. Millions of customers go to Wetherspoon's because they know exactly what they're going to get. That kind of consistency can be hard to find.

Martin also prides himself on remaining close to the people who matter: the managers and staff who run his pubs. He makes regular visits to talk to staff and has been known to watch over the finest details, right down to the seating plans in new pubs.

The winner of the 2001 Pub Industry Award will have a hard act to follow. But, like Martin, he or she will be able to demonstrate a mixture of vision, inspiration and financial success.

To nominate someone for the Pub Industry Award, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. Closing date for nominations is Friday 2 March and judging will take place at London's Dorchester hotel on 9 May. Click here to see previous winners 

• The award will go to an individual who is able to demonstrate success in pub retailing through innovation and vision.
• It is open to an individual involved in running a group operation.
• The winner will have demonstrated consistency of product and service, which can be drink- and/or food/related, through achievements in the past year.
• The winner will provide an example of excellence to the pub industry.

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For Richard Tobias, chief executive of the British Incoming Tour Operators Association (BITOA), winning last year's Tourism Award Catey came as a bolt from the blue. "I was absolutely amazed and surprised. I had not the slightest notion," he says. "It's a great award, and I was delighted to receive it."

Perhaps he shouldn't have been that surprised. A quick look back at Tobias's 30-year career in the industry shows exactly the kind of achievements and qualities that the judging panel looks for when choosing a winner for the Tourism Catey.

Tobias has spent most of his career promoting, selling and marketing the UK as a first-choice travel destination for visitors both from abroad and from within the UK. Back in the 1970s, as managing director of Kids International, he was at the forefront of introducing activity holidays in Britain for young people.

Tobias has spent 12 years working for BITOA, the past eight of them as its chief executive. During that time he has worked hard to promote Britain's tourism industry at trade exhibitions and conferences around the world. He has also developed the annual BITOA convention into an essential industry forum, and lobbied the Government tirelessly on key issues.

Tobias thinks that winning the award was a pat on the back not only for himself but for others in his association. "Most people were genuinely pleased for me," he says, "and it was an accolade for the industry and for the members of BITOA, who felt it was a recognition of the work they do."

But the Tourism Award isn't just for well-known figures or industry high-flyers; it allows for a whole range of people to be nominated. In 1998 the award was shared by three of the industry's normally unsung heroes: Sarah Whaley of the English Tourist Board, Linda Astbury of the RAC and Albert Hampson of the AA. They were honoured for their achievements in creating a unified classification scheme for hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs across England. And in 1999 the Tourism Catey was won by Hans Rissmann, chief executive of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, who was recognised for the centre's outstanding success in attracting a steady influx of high-spending tourists to the city.

Other former winners include Cairns Boston, chairman of the Land's End and John O'Groats Company; Ken Robinson, most recently of the Millennium Dome; holiday firm boss James Hoseason; and Victor Middleton, co-founder of the Tourism Society.

The tourism industry provides jobs for 1.78 million people in the UK, some 7% of the workforce. It already accounts for 4% of the country's gross domestic product and is forecast to grow by 4% a year over the next decade. Overseas visitors now spend about £12.5b a year in the UK. It is this significance, and its close relationship to the fortunes of the hotel and restaurant trade, that the Tourism Catey is designed to recognise. It honours one person or a team of people who have made an outstanding contribution to the standards of tourism in the UK.

To nominate someone for the Tourism Award, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. Closing date is Friday 2 March and judging will take place at Aramark's new offices in London on Thursday 26 April. Click here to see previous winners

Candidates should meet one or more of the following criteria. They may have:

• Persuaded tourists from both the UK and abroad to spend their money in this country.
• Helped to raise the profile of British hospitality.
• Improved standards and professionalism within the industry.

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What do you need to do to win the Food Service Caterer of the Year award? Outstanding financial performance, phenomenal growth and excellent management skills were some of the attributes that clinched the Catey for last year's winner, Chris Hind of contract caterer Nelson Hind.

The judges were impressed with the way he had built the company into the largest independent contract caterer in the country (before its takeover by Elior last June) while still providing his customers with what they considered a personalised service.

In the process, Nelson Hind achieved a reputation for high-quality service and efficiency to match anything its larger rivals could offer. It was also an innovative company, giving chef-managers a free hand to set their own menus, do their own purchasing and run their units as small businesses in their own right.

Judge Fergus Chambers described Hind as an inspirational leader, earning the respect of both staff and clients, as well as the industry at large. Another judge, Frank Bell, commented: "He had his finger on the pulse. He knew exactly what was happening in the company, but still allowed his staff the freedom to buy locally."

Further factors contributing to Hind's victory included his attitude to staff, a willingness to "lead from the front" and to invest in the training and development of team members.

Chambers himself was named Food Service Caterer of the Year in 1999. His achievement was to reinvent Glasgow's school canteens, turning them into hi-tech, fast-food-style "Fuel Zones" that appealed to today's schoolchildren and boosted take-up from 26% to 65%. Chambers was praised for his forward-thinking nature, his charisma and enthusiasm, and his motivational skills. He was also seen as an all-round ambassador for the food service sector, helping to raise its profile and enhance its appeal as a worthwhile career option.

Other previous winners have included: Tim West, now chief executive of Elior UK; Don Davenport of Granada Food Services (now Compass); William Baxter and Robert Platts, the founders of Baxter & Platts; CCG founder Frank Bell; and the late Roger Davis.

Do you know anybody who could follow in their footsteps as winner of the Food Service Caterer of the Year title for 2001? While every winner is chosen on their own particular merits, past experience indicates a strong thread running through all of them. This year's winner will almost certainly be running a successful business - but not necessarily at managing director level. They will show a dedication to the industry as a whole, as well as to their own company, whether through commitment to training schemes, playing a part in industry associations or otherwise helping to raise the profile of the food service sector.

To nominate someone for Food Service Caterer of the Year, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. The closing date is Friday 2 March and judging will take place at the new ExCel exhibition centre in east London on Friday 27 April. Click here to see previous winners

The Food Service Caterer of the Year will be a senior executive who has contributed to the food service sector in any of the following areas:

• Business and industry.
• Education.
• Healthcare and institutional catering

Both in-house and contract caterers are eligible. They will possess the ability to combine innovation with sound financial performance, as well as being able to demonstrate clear achievements over the past 12 months.

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Stepping into the shoes of Gordon Ramsay as successor to the Chef Award title will be no run-of-the-mill chef. Ramsay, who has experienced incredible success in the seven-and-a-half years since he opened Chelsea restaurant Aubergine - not least promotion of his Gordon Ramsay restaurant to three Michelin stars a few weeks ago - has become a giant on the culinary scene at home and abroad.

But while the decision to give Ramsay the award may have been seen by some as a controversial choice - the image portrayed in the 1999 television documentary series Ramsay's Boiling Point was widely criticised in the industry - the judges believed the 34-year-old chef had done much to make amends for past misdemeanours and could no longer be ignored as a serious contender.

Ramsay's three books, A Passion for Flavours, A Passion for Fish and A Chef for All Seasons, which was published last September, serve as a reference for many chefs as well as inspiration for the lay cook, and his series on the Carlton Food Network is often used in colleges. But, most importantly, his cooking receives nothing but praise.

"You see his food mimicked all over the place," commented Rick Stein, winner of the 1999 Chef Award and chef-proprietor of the Seafood restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall, at last year's judging session. "He has sent out very good messages about the food in this country produced by British chefs," added fellow judge Anton Edelmann, maître chef des cuisines at London's Savoy hotel and the 1991 Chef Award winner.

Celebrated New York chef Daniel Boulud agrees. "French cooking is still considered by many to be the mother of all cuisines. Gordon has not only understood it completely, but has used it as a springboard to create his own culinary identity," he says.

Having moved his eponymous restaurant to the old La Tante Claire site on London's Royal Hospital Road two-and-a-half years ago, Ramsay has maintained five AA rosettes and a nine-out-of-10 rating in the Good Food Guide.

Ramsay will be sitting on the judging panel for this year's Chef Award and will be looking for someone who serves cutting-edge cuisine, who could also be credited with moving the industry forward.

"The British culinary scene has a great reputation worldwide, but we still have much work to do," says Ramsay. "I will be looking for a chef who is developing that reputation, as well as promoting and nurturing young chefs for the future."

On winning the award, Ramsay joined an illustrious list of chefs, among them his contemporary, Philip Howard, chef-proprietor of London's Square; and Raymond Blanc of Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire. Other past winners include veteran hotel chef Peter Kromberg of the Hotel Inter-Continental on Hyde Park Corner, London, and Nico Ladenis, patron of Cheznico, also in the capital, who officially hung up his whites 18 months ago.

The search is now on to find the Cateys 2001 Chef Award winner. To nominate, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. Closing date for nominations is Friday 2 March and judging will take place at London's Lanesborough hotel on Monday 14 May. Click here to see previous winners  

The award is open to chefs from all sectors of the industry.

• It recognises trendsetters and innovators.
• The recipient must have made a considerable contribution to the industry as a whole, over and above his or her responsibilities and challenges at work.
• The award recognises an individual's input to the development of the profession.

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Silvano Giraldin is an acknowledged leader in the hospitality world, a man at the top of his profession, whose name is as synonymous with London's celebrated Le Gavroche restaurant - of which he is director - as that of two generations of the Roux family. But it is not career success alone that won him the Cateys 2000 Special Award.

Rather, it was a passion for his work, together with sustained and outstanding commitment to the hospitality industry in his own particular sphere over three decades that impressed the judging panel, made up of the heads of department at Caterer & Hotelkeeper.

"He has a flawless reputation and works tirelessly to develop young professionals wishing to work in restaurant service," wrote one of the judges. "He is cultured, charming and circumspect - the perfect role model for any aspiring front of house supremo."

Over the years, Giraldin has encouraged and developed a number of today's leading maître d's, including Gordon Ramsay's fellow director and restaurant manager, Jean-Claude Breton. "I worked with Silvano for three years - one year at the old Gavroche site [in Lower Sloane Street] and at the beginning of the 1990s for two years at Upper Brook Street," says Breton. "He's the epitome of French gastronomy, and I learnt a lot from him. He was very strict. Everything had to be perfect - and clean. Nails, hands, socks and shoes. I understand now why he was so strict."

Le Gavroche's founder and patron, Albert Roux, says that Giraldin is admired by his customers, his peers and his staff alike. "Our customers can rely upon him to remember them, their names, their circumstances, tastes and peccadilloes," says Roux. "His peers know him for his impeccable knowledge of his craft and his enviable style, while his staff soon become aware that they are in the thrall of a senior who can give them invaluable training and onward contacts to further their careers."

Giraldin has given up much of his time to spotlight an area of hospitality which is often overlooked, both within the industry and by the media - front of house. For example, he helped found the Academy of Culinary Arts' Les Arts de la Table in 1985 and was involved in setting up the academy's first Master of Culinary Arts award for service candidates. He is also a regular judge at the annual Young Chef/Young Waiter competition and the Academy of Culinary Arts' Annual Awards of Excellence.

Although there are no set criteria for nominees for this particular award, all past winners, including Giraldin, have possessed the ability to inspire and lead as well as displaying a zeal for, and dedication to, their work. The award may come early in a career as recognition of original or creative ideas, or later, when someone has established a consistenly outstanding record. The calibre of past winners bears witness to this - they include Sir Rocco Forte, Sir Terence Conran, David Michels and John Jarvis.

Nominators should bear in mind that the Special Award can recognise someone from any sector of the hospitality industry. To nominate someone for this award, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. The closing date for nominations is Friday 2 March, and judging will take place at Caterer & Hotelkeeper's offices on Thursday 17 May. Click here to see previous winners

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One of the most emotional scenes ever witnessed at the Cateys came in 1998 when Brian Sack took to the stage to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of himself and his former partner, Francis Coulson, who had sadly lost his fight against cancer in February of that year.

In the industry's eyes, no two other people were more deserving of the Lifetime Achievement Award than Coulson and Sack: their establishment, Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in Ullswater, Cumbria, had for some 50 years epitomised the very best of the hospitality industry.

Today, Sharrow Bay is still seen as the standard by which all leading country house hotels are measured. It boasts numerous awards, among them one Michelin star, three AA red stars and three AA rosettes. It even managed to grace the Guinness Book of Records, back in 1981, when it became the only hotel to have gained the Egon Ronay Gold Plate for its restaurant and the Egon Ronay Hotel of the Year award. In 1988, Coulson and Sack also received the Catey Special Award.

Much of Coulson and Sack's success can undoubtedly be attributed to the partners' desire to please. "We both had an intense love of people," Sack once commented, while Coulson said their overall aim was to "cosset, nourish and nurture each client as they came through the door".

Just seven leading figures to date have received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented only once every three years, the award was first given in 1986, to Lord Forte of Ripley. Forte was joined in 1989 by Douglas Barrington, formerly director and chairman of the Lygon Arms in Broadway, Worcestershire, while Victor Ceserani, chef-mentor and former head of catering at Ealing College, won the award in 1992. Three years before Coulson and Sack's success, the award went to culinary legends Albert and Michel Roux.

Like the Special Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award is judged by the heads of departments at Caterer & Hotelkeeper, and although there are no set criteria for it, the winner is likely to have enjoyed success over a prolonged period. All of the past recipients have worked in the industry for more than 40 years, but in addition to their core business have contributed to the industry in a considerable way.

For example, as well as running their highly successful restaurants, Le Gavroche in London and the Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, the Roux brothers had shown a strong commitment to training and developing young chefs - underlined by their widely coveted Roux Scholarship, which has been running for more than 17 years.

To nominate someone for Group Restaurateur of the Year, print off the nomination form and fax it to Jane Cartwright on 020 8652 8973 or e-mail her at Jane.Cartwright@rbi.co.uk. If you can, include a supporting statement of no more than 200 words - this could help your candidate's case. The closing date for nominations is 2 March, and judging will take place at Caterer's offices on 17 May. Click here to see previous winners

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2000 Coniston Hall Lodge
1999 Club Gascon
1998 The Star Inn, Harome
1997 The Bank, London
1996 Hotel du Vin & Bistro, Winchester
1995 Gordon Ramsay
1994 The Atrium, Edinburgh
1993 Morston Hall, Morston
1992 Paul Heathcote
1991 Paul & Jeanne Rankin
1990 Stuart Scher
1989 Nick Wainford
1988 David & Tina Thomson
1987 Marco Pierre White
1986 Calcot Manor, Tetbury
1985 Rue St Jacques, London
1984 Keith and Vanessa Gibbs

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2000 Elaine Clarke
1999 Zoe Jenkins
1998 John Toner
1997 Julie Baugh
1996 Elena Salvoni
1995 Margaret Wells
1994 Julian Small
1993 John Coomb
1992 David Irving

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2000 Chewton Glen,New Milton
1999 Northcote Manor, Langho, near Blackburn
1998 Crieff Hydro, Tayside
1997 Gidleigh Park, Chagford

2000 The Berkeley, London
1999 Travel Inn, County Hall, London
1998 The Savoy, London
1997 Malmaison, Edinburgh

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2000 Andrew Radford
1999 Annie & Germain Schwab
1998 Terry Laybourne
1997 Paul Heathcote
1996 Michael Gill
1995 Sally Clarke
1994 Sir Terence Conran & Joel Kissin
1993 Christopher Corbin & Jeremy King
1992 Nick Smallwood & Simon Slater
1991 David Levin
1990 Peter, Tom & Eugene McCoy
1989 David Wilson
1988 Albert Roux
1987 Victor Sassie
1986 Pierre Martin
1985 Michel Roux
1984 Richard Shepherd

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2000 Simon Woodroffe
1999 Adam & Sam Kaye
1998 Neville Abraham & Laurence Isaacson
1997 Jeremy Mogford
1996 David Page
1995 John Barnes
1994 Roger Myers
1993 Max Woolfenden
1992 Allen Jones
1991 Wess Van Riemsdijk
1990 Alan Jackson
1989 Peter Boizot

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2000 Royal College of Physicians
1999 Brazz, Taunton, Somerset
1998 Castle Green, Kendal
1997 Gibbon Bridge Hotel, Forest of Bowland
1996 The Weavers Shed, Huddersfield
1995 The Wentworth Club, Virginia Water
1994 Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons,Great Milton
1993 Rutland Hotel, Sheffield
1992 Congham Hall, Grimston
1991 Keavil House Hotel, Dunfermline
1990 Grants Hotel, Harrogate
1989 Greenway Hotel, Cheltenham
1988 La Belle Epoque, Knutsford
1987 Inn on the Lake, Godalming
1986 Mrs Crossley's Yorkshire Kitchen, Halifax
1985 Forest & Vale Hotel, Pickering
1984 D'Artagnan Restaurant, London

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2000 Debenhams Food Services
1999 Granada Food Services
1998 Perfect Pizza
1997 Radisson Edwardian Hotels
1996 Jarvis Hotels
1995 Roadchef Motorways
1994 Kirklees Metropolitan Council Catering Service
1993 Victoria & Albert Hotel, Manchester
1992 The Brewery, Chiswell Street
1991 Compass Services UK
1990 The Savoy, London
1989 Wimpy International
1988 British Telecom Catering
1987 Crest Hotels International
1986 Crest Hotels International
1985 Compass Services UK
1984 Berni Inns

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2000 Idaho, London
1999 The Glasshouse, Kew,London
1998 The River Station, Bristol
1997 The Star Inn, Helmsley
1996 The Canteen, London
1995 The Design House, Halifax
1994 Number Twenty Four, Wymondham
1993 The Box Tree, Ilkley
1992 Le Soufflé, HotelInter-Continental, London
1991 Calcot Manor, Tetbury
1990 Le Méridien, London
1989 Castle Hotel, Taunton
1988 Grand Hotel, Eastbourne
1987 Three Swans Hotel,Market Harborough
1986 Le Talbooth, Dedham
1985 The Savoy, London
1984 Waterside Inn, Bray

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2000 Charles Brierley
1999 Paul Whittome
1998 Denis Watkins
1997 Steven and Marjorie Doherty

2000 Tim Martin
1999 Tony Carson
1998 Peter Salussolia
1997 Peter Dickson
1996 John Bright

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2000 Richard Tobias
1999 Hans Rissmann
1998 Albert Hampson, Linda Astbury & Sarah Whaley
1997 Cairns Boston
1996 Ken Robinson
1995 James Hoseason
1994 Victor Middleton
1993 Peter Lederer
1992 Anne Davies
1991 Pam Powell
1990 Martin Skan
1989 Gerald Milsom
1988 Douglas Barrington
1987 Kit Chapman

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2000 Christopher Hind
1999 Fergus Chambers
1998 Tim West
1997 Don Davenport
1996 William Baxter & Robert Platts
1995 Frank Bell
1994 Roger Davis
1993 Jacqui Newton
1992 Avril Robertson
1991 Robbie Brown
1990 Charles Allen
1989 Marc Verstringhe
1988 Arnold Fewell
1987 Brian Watts
1986 Sheila Mitchel
1985 Mary Scott Morgan
1984 Jean Alexander

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2000 Gordon Ramsay
1999 Rick Stein
1998 Philip Howard
1997 Brian Turner
1996 Willi Elsener
1995 John Burton-Race
1994 Michael Nadell
1993 Shaun Hill
1992 Bernard Gaume
1991 Anton Edelmann
1990 Raymond Blanc
1989 Pierre Koffmann
1988 Nico Ladenis
1987 Peter Kromberg
1986 Brian Cotterill
1985 Anton Mosimann
1984 Michel Bourdin

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2000 Silvano Giraldin
1999 Sir Rocco Forte
1998 Sir Terence Conran
1997 Ramón Pajares
1996 Gary Rhodes
1995 David Michels
1994 John Jarvis
1993 Richard Shepherd
1992 Prue Leith
1991 Joe Hyam
1990 Alan Hearn
1989 John Taylorson
1988 Francis Coulson & Brian Sack
1987 Restaurateurs Association of Great Britain
1986 Garry Hawkes
1985 Roy Ackerman
1984 Victor Ceserani

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1998 Francis Coulson & Brian Sack
1995 Albert & Michel Roux
1992 Victor Ceserani
1989 Douglas Barrington
1986 Lord Forte of Ripley