Kintyre restaurant scoops Scottish best in south-west
The proprietors of Campbeltown’s Food for Thought toasted success when it was declared a Restaurant of the Year. At a gala dinner in Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza on Monday evening, Billy and Gillian Brodrick were stunned to beat central belt competition and take the Food Awards Scotland title for the south-west region. Mr Brodrick, 48, the restaurant’s chef, said: ‘It was a real pleasure to receive the award. ‘Two other couples on our table received awards in different categories. so we were stunned to find three winners at one table.’ Mrs Brodrick, who manages front of house, added: ‘My heart was thumping really hard when we went up to collect the award in front of 350 other guests.’ ‘It is not just good for the restaurant,’ said Mr Brodrick, ‘it is great to put Campbeltown on the map for fabulous food. ‘It was a surprise to find we were in the finals in July.’ Mrs Brodrick added: ‘I was really looking forward to attending the awards dinner but we were not expecting to win. ‘To win an award in our first year of trading is an amazing achievement. ‘My mum Jennifer Kelly and daughter Kelly Brodrick joined us at the awards dinner.’ Food for Thought, which opened on July 1 last year, beat eight other finalists in its category including last year’s winner, Ayr’s No 22 Bar and Grill and businesses from Lanark, Renfrew, Paisley, Motherwell and Shotts. Neither of the Brodricks is aware of who made the nomination. They said that some of the other competitors had been asking patrons for nominations for months before. To make the final award, an anonymous judge visits each restaurant. A spokesperson from Food Awards Scotland organisers Oceanic Creative said: ‘We were delighted to welcome such great finalists and winners at the Food Awards Scotland 2018 and celebrate the food industry with them. ‘These awards aimed to thank those who work hard in the Scottish food industry and contribute to making Scotland a great place to visit. ‘It is true that Scotland combines tastes and flavours from all over the world and our visitors can find different restaurants, gastro pubs and bistros. ‘These people enhance the country’s reputation nationally and internationally, and we wanted to make sure that the hard work of Scottish food professionals doesn’t go unnoticed. ‘It was lovely to be part of this celebration and we would like to congratulate all finalists and winners for their achievements.’ The awards supported Breast Cancer Care Scotland, a charity that provides support for anyone affected by breast cancer. As the Brodricks began to text and post pictures on their Facebook page, just before midnight, following the award, there were more than 150 comments and many shares. The last word should be left for one of Food for Thought’s satisfied customers writing in the visitors’ book. Bern and Jeanette, from Sydney, Australia, visited last month and said: ‘Many, many thanks for your honest, pure and delicious cooking. The hospitality is like the food – second to none.’