TWO chefs from the same York kitchen are battling it out for an award in culinary excellence.

Michael Newlove and Matthew Hyde work at the York Marriott hotel and were among five chefs shortlisted in the Visit York Tourism Awards.

“There’s a lot of banter around the kitchen, but it’s all good natured,” said Matthew.

“So long as one of us wins we’ll be happy.”

“It’s a brotherly kind of competition, trying to outdo each other,” said Michael.

“Obviously we would both like to win, but want to see the other do well too.”

The five finalists, who also included Darrell Burnham, of the Burn Hall Hotel, Huby, Tom Banks from the Black Swan, in Oldstead, near Helmsley, and Mark Ireland, of the Royal York Hotel, designed three-course meals showing off their creativity and skill in the kitchen for the panel of judges yesterday.

The meals, all made using Yorkshire produce, were served to the panel at York cookery school, the Cooking Rooms, in Amy Johnson Way, Clifton Moor.

Luke Norbury, the school’s manager, said he was happy to promote York tourism.

He said: “Food and drink is a huge part of the visitor experience. York is very fortunate in having a wide range of eateries and some fantastic up and coming talent in the kitchens.”

The Visit York Tourism awards consist of 13 categories recognising excellence in the city’s tourism industry, including hotels and visitor attractions.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of Visit York, said the awards were important in the current financial climate.

She said: “We know the last 12 months have continued to present challenging times for many businesses.

“We believe it is more important than ever to provide recognition for the work going on here in York to welcome the city’s four million annual visitors. This year has seen a very high standard of entries from across the industry and shortlisting by our independent panel of judges has been a challenging process.”

The chefs will have to wait almost a month to find out who has won the title.

The winner will accept his award at a black-tie ceremony at the National Railway Museum on April 22.


Visit York Tourism Awards... the shortlist

Hotel of the Year – Sponsored by Yorkshire Laundry Services
• Dean Court Hotel
• Feversham Arms Hotel & Spa
• Grange Hotel
• Hedley House Hotel
• York Marriott Hotel

Guest Accommodation of the Year – Sponsored by Barry Crux & Co
• Carlton House
• Low Penhowe
• Monkgate Guest House

Self Catering/Caravan Park of the Year – Sponsored by New Vision
• Dovecote Barns
• Jollydays Luxury Camping
• Robin Hood Caravan & Camping Park

Conference Venue of the Year – Sponsored by Saville Audio Visual
• Burn Hall
• National Railway Museum
• York Marriott Hotel

Taste of York – Sponsored by Morrell Middleton
• The Black Swan at Oldstead
• Café Harlequin
• Melton’s Restaurant
• Ye Old Sun Inn

Award in Culinary Excellence – Sponsored by DeliciouslYorkshire
• Darrel Burnham - Burn Hall
• Tom Banks – The Black Swan, Oldstead
• Mark Ireland – Royal York Hotel
• Michael Newlove – York Marriott Hotel
• Matthew Hyde – York Marriott Hotel

Visitor Attraction of the Year (under 50,000 visitors) – Sponsored by The Jespers Office
• Go Ape!
• The Ice Factor
• Yorkshire Lavender

Visitor Attraction of the Year (50,000 visitors and over) – Sponsored by York City Sightseeing
• Jorvik
• York Dungeon
• York Maze
• Yorkshire Air Museum & Allied Air Forces Memorial

Visitor Experience of the Year – Sponsored by F R Fowler & Son
• Complete York
• Jorvik Viking Festival
• Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival – York Racecourse
• York Maze

Marketing Campaign of the Year – Sponsored by Leeds Bradford International Airport
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway
• York Castle Prison
• York Maze

Employer of the Year – Sponsored by Denison Till
• The Living Room
• Royal York Hotel & Events Centre
• York City Centre Premier Inn
• York Marriott Hotel

Outstanding Customer Service Award – Sponsored by Pindar Plc
• Anna Hendry-Smith – Hotel Chocolat
• Paula Medwell – LK Bennett
• Simon Moss – The Living Room
• Sue Towler – National Railway Museum

York Ambassador Award – Sponsored by Ware and Kay
• To be announced 22 April