Top chef joins the judging panel for the Coventry and Warwickshire Foodie Awards - get your nominations in for your favourite place

Entrants in the brand new Foodie Awards for Coventry and Warwickshire will be showing off their talents to one of the nation’s top chefs as part of the judging process.

Glynn Purnell, who is set to open a restaurant in the heart of Coventry in 2021, will be a guest judge in the brand new food and drink awards programme alongside several other top names in the industry.

The inaugural Foodie Awards 2021, in partnership with Visit Coventry and backed by the Courier and Weekly News, will recognise an array of food and drink businesses from producers to chefs, street food traders, restaurants and bars.

Entries are already pouring in for the awards, which will culminate in a ceremony in spring 2021 following a finalists’ night on January 25 at Coventry’s new Telegraph Hotel.

They will be judged by a mixture of esteemed judges and public votes, with Glynn Purnell appearing as a guest judge alongside his former employer Andreas Antona, owner of The Cross in Kenilworth, and Russell Allen, managing director of Aubrey Allen.

The chef, who regularly appears on Saturday Kitchen, said: “Despite what some people might think, Coventry and Warwickshire is an area packed with great food and drink - hence my plan to open a restaurant here next year. It’s been a tough year for all of us in hospitality but these awards will help boost local businesses and recognise some of the great talent in the area. I’m looking

forward to being involved.”