James’ Places celebrates awards-filled week

A clutch of Lancashire venues owned and operated by James’ Places have collected five awards in one week.

The group, which includes Holmes Mill, The Waddington Arms and a number of hotels, pubs and inns across the region, has been honoured for excellence in food and drink retailing, inspiring leadership, pride of place and traditional Lancastrian hospitality.

The awards went to Bowland Food Hall, which won Independent Retailer of the Year at the Lancashire Life Food Awards; Eaves Hall, which was named Best Hotel/Guest House by Lancashire Best Kept Village; Waddington Arms, which earned a Special Recognition Award from LateRooms.com/eviivo.com; and the SIBA Northwest Independent Beer Awards granted gold to Bowland Brewery's Dragonglass and brozne to its Buster.

Lesley-Anne Stevens, who is general manager at Mitton Hall Hotel was also named a finalist in the leadership category of the  Lancashire Business View Sub36 Awards.

The Lancashire Life Food Awards judges described Bowland Food Hall as a ‘a glittering showcase for an amazing range of food’. They said: “This is a wonderful showcase for the best of Lancashire’s food and drink. This amazing building is a temple to good taste and people come from across the county to sample its delights.”

Bowland Brewery’s popular Buster IPA took a Bronze award in the Premium Cask IPA Class, while the dark and complex limited edition Dragonglass took Gold in the Cask Strong Beer Class.

The awards, run by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and held at the Macron stadium in Bolton, are judged in a blind tasting by brewers and beer experts and seen very much as the brewers’ choice awards in the industry. James’ Places operations manager Maurice Camm said: “It’s truly rewarding to receive such recognition for all the hard work that goes into making visitors feel welcome at our venues. Whether it’s our guests or our staff, people are at the heart of our business and we work hard to make everyone feel part of the James’ Places family."