Managers Jayne Grocock and Caroline Sutherland revealed that the owner has ploughed cash into 21 West Café Bistro to demonstrate the business is growing fast after just over a year.

The pair have been running the bistro for 14 months and want to put their stamp on the community and hope that other neighbouring businesses will follow suit.

They have upgraded the facilities with a £1500 makeover with new external canopies and signs and future plans could include installing a new deli counter.

Jayne said: “We want people to see that we are growing and reinvesting by upgrading our facilities to maintain our position as a focal point in the High Street.

“We already aim to bring top end standards to Backwell and feel by making these improvements we are helping to raise the bar of the village.

“We always try to totally over deliver in terms of our standards of food and the level of service customers receive, which are both second to none and hope people will recognise our efforts.

“In addition we are helping to support youngsters into the world of work with a new apprenticeship scheme which is training students in conjunction with their studies.

“Our recent appointments include Blake Kinman, 18, of Nailsea who is front of house staff and Emma Filer, 17, of Warmley, who is learning in the kitchen four days a week in conjunction with their studies at City of Bristol College.

“With unemployment levels so high in the UK, these youngsters deserve a chance in life and we are certain they face a bright future with everything they learn from us.”

The bistro already supports the community by using local producers and all of its organic vegetables are delivered fresh from nearby Barrington.

Caroline said: “Everything we offer is made from scratch even down to our bread.

“Farmer John from Bakers Farms picks his vegetables from his field and brings them to us with the soil on them, so you can’t get much fresher than that.

“We also support Chew Moo ice cream which is made from the cows in Chew Valley.

“Now we hope that the community will in turn support us by coming to see our new look bistro and give us a try.

“We have exciting plans in the pipeline for 21 West Café Bistro so watch this space.”

For more information visit the website www.21-west.co.uk or call 01275 463744.

Love Food

The Pylle based butcher’s Beef and Guinness pie took champion status in the ‘Beef and any flavour combination’ category at the British Pie Awards, hosted in Melton Mowbray last month.

The food industry competition attracted nearly 1000 entries from across the country, with 20 different pie categories. It’s a celebration of the iconic British cuisine, promoting regional specialities and recognising the craft of national bakers and butchers, for large and small producers.

At meat industry EBLEX’s ‘England’s Best Steak Pie’ competition, Jon Thorner’s received awards for every pie they entered. Their Beef and Red Wine won gold in its category and will now go through to the final round of judging to find the overall champion. The other winning flavours were Beef and Stilton, Steak and Kidney, Steak and Butcombe Ale, and Beef & Guinness.

John Emery, the head chef at Jon Thorner’s said, “The British Pie Awards has entries from all over the country, so to be awarded the best pie in a category out of all those entries is just fantastic and then to find out we have won five more at another national pie competition, just confirms we are making great pies!”

Jon Thorner’s has been developing a range of handmade kitchen ready products since 2006 and seen great success over the years at product competitions, including Great Taste and Taste of the West.

Mezze Restaurants has taken over the reins of The Anchor Inn at Ham Green to offer the pub a stable future and bring some much needed jobs to the local area.

The pub has seen four landlords in the past two years but Mezze Restaurants has signed a 20-year lease and is in the process of carrying out a major £350,000 refurbishment.

This revamp will create a new modern venue boasting a cocktail bar, Mezze restaurant, an A La Carte restaurant and outdoor Mediterranean garden.

Mezze owner Alex Tryfonos was keen to revive the pub and reinstate its position as the hub of the community, particularly as he lives only one mile away.

Mr Tryfonos, a local cricketer, said: “We are thrilled to be reviving another community pub and injecting a new lease of life into The Anchor, especially as it is one of my locals.

“The pub has experienced an unsettled past with a series of landlords in the last few years but we want to stabilise its future and create a thriving community pub.

“All of the venues we have transformed have been in need of some TLC and through our substantial investment we have helped to raise the profile of several areas.

“We hope that the community will get behind us and offer their support to this exciting new venture.”

Mezze is growing at a phenomenal rate and the Anchor Inn will be its fifth restaurant in five years in the South West region, closely following by The White Lion in Portishead.

Mezze at the Anchor Inn opens to the public on May 4, following a series of pre-launch evenings from April 30 for local residents to see the transformation.

An official VIP launch evening takes place on Friday May 3, conducted by a host of local sports stars and celebrities at 7pm.

Alex added: “We are certain that the transformation to The Anchor coupled with our vibrant Mediterranean menu, created by a team with experience of Browns, Severn Shed, Aqua, Melbournes and Redcliffs, will more than satisfy your taste buds.

“We hope everyone will get chance to come and see our new Mezze transformation and residents will get a sneak preview in the week leading up to the official opening.”

For more information visit www.mezzerestaurants.com or call Alex Tryfonos on free-phone 08081782045

Jon Thorner’s was awarded the gold medals for its pork pie and steak and ale pie at the leading event for the European fresh food sector, MEAT EXPO 2013 staged in Kortrijk, Belgium. (March 24-27). They also received silver medals for their pork loin roast and on the bone fillet steak and bronze for their gourmet steak burger.

Jon Thorner said: “We are delighted with our award wins. This contest offers the opportunity to express our creative side. We are proud to represent the UK in such an elite competition.”

The bi-annual contest included entries from a strong UK contingent representing the national Q Guild, of which Jon Thorner’s is a member.

The Q Guild was established in 1986 and represents the highest quality butchers and independent meat retailers in the UK. The 110 members from Shetland to Cornwall serve £3 million worth of meat and related products to over a quarter of a million discerning UK consumers every week.

Jon Thorner, Southwest chairman of the Q Guild also said: “Q Guild butchers flew the flag for the Brits in Belgium and came away with a near 70-strong windfall of award-winning products, multiple golds among them. Thank you to our sponsor Dalzeils, without them our members would not of been able to take part or even get their amazing products over to Belgium to enter the competition.”

www.jonthorner.co.uk

Pop-Up Italian Restaurant

When: Monday 8th April

Time: 7 – 11pm

Price: £20

Small Business Networking Lunch

When: Thursday 18th April

Time: 12 – 2pm

Price: £20

Photography Workshop

When: Saturday 20th April

Time: 1030am – 4pm

Price: £65

Meat Smoking & Curing Workshop

When: Tuesday 30th April

Time: 10.30am – 4pm

Price: £85

Cheese Making Workshop

When: Tuesday 14th May

Time: 10.30am – 4pm

Price: £65

 If you are interested in joining Clavelshay Barn for a workshop or event, please call Sue on 01278 662629 or email her at query@clavelshaybarn.co.uk

www.clavelshaybarn.co.uk

Incorporating indoor and outdoor food markets, street food, a demonstration kitchen, cookery workshops for adults and children, ‘meet the producer’ sessions, wine tasting, competitions, food trails, a gardening and growing section, special offers in restaurants and cafes, the Weston super Food Awards, a food inspired arts fringe, and tasty, foodie fun for all!

www.westonsuperfoodfestival.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/westonfoodfest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestonsuperFoodFestival

Clavelshay Barn Restaurant

Clavelshay Barn Restaurant