The search for The Herald Food Hero is almost at an end, with just three weeks to go until the winner is announced at the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards.
After careful consideration by a panel of judges including The Herald's food writer Cate Devine and members of Scotland Food and Drink, a shortlist of three can now be announced.
They are organic farmer Bruce Bennett of Pillars of Hercules near Falkland, Fife; Iain R Spink of Original Smokies from Arbroath Ltd; and forager Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods, Gatehouse of Fleet. The winner will be announced on May 27 at the glitzy sell-out Awards ceremony, which this year takes place at the National Museum of Scotland with broadcaster Kaye Adams as host.
Nominations for the Herald Food Hero - a brand new category in the annual Awards, which has 19 other entered categories celebrating excellence across Scottish food and drink - were submitted by Herald readers for the person they thought has done most to deserve the title. It was the first time in the history of the Awards that members of the public could take part.
We received nominations from all over the country, including Perthshire, Mull, the Borders, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Johnstone, Renfrewshire, West Lothian, Fife, Inverness, Isle of Skye, Dundee, Moray, Aberdeenshire, Arbroath, Ayrshire and Galloway.
They championed producers of rapeseed oil, artisan macarons, pies, fudge, chilli jams and chutneys, smoked trout and haddock, organic meat, venison, wild game, vegetable bags; fresh bagged salads; fresh chocolates; chefs, both well known and lesser known; restaurateurs; cook school proprietors; food educationalists, bakers, foragers and suppliers.
Magnus Llewellin, editor of The Herald, said: "We are delighted with the volume and quality of our readers' nominations for The Herald Food Hero. It is clear that Scottish food and drink is something our readers are passionate about."
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