Highland Park behind Slow Food

Scotch whisky Highland Park is sponsoring a new award, the Slow Food Restaurant of the Year Award.

The official unveiling of the new award will take place at The World’s Best Restaurants event at London’s Guildhall on April 30. The shortlist and winners of the both The World’s Best Restaurants and the Slow Food Restaurant of the Year Award.

Highland Park is also currently working with Slow Food UK in running the Slow Food Alliance, which engages with chefs and supports small scale producers, and sustainably sourced, quality produce.

Involvement in both these initiatives will allow Highland Park o support its position as a food companion.

The Slow Restaurant of the Year Award, judged by Slow Food UK, Restaurant magazine, Highland Park and food critic Matthew Fort, will go to one of the 50 Best restaurants which has been identified as offering both excellent food and an “outstanding commitment to community and the environment”.

Peter Sanstrom, marketing director of Maxxium, the UK distributor of Highland Park, said: “We are extremely excited about our involvement with The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and this annual gathering of the world’s culinary greats.

“It’s fantastic to be bringing a different dimension to this year’s celebrations with the new award, in partnership with our friends at Slow Food UK. I look forward to presenting the award on the night with great anticipation.”

Catherine Gazzoli, CEO of Slow Food UK, added: “It’s a great opportunity for us to encourage and fully acknowledge the importance that many chefs are attaching to offering their diners an authentic and involving experience.

“The award will also highlight our plight to save edible biodiversity; honouring those chefs who have demonstrated a willingness to use and promote Ark produce, a catalogue of forgotten foods which will disappear if chefs and others fail to use them.”

William Drew, editor of Restaurant magazine, concluded: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Highland Park and Slow Food UK on this new initiative.

“Now feels like the perfect time to highlight and reward those restaurants within the World’s 50 Best list that best reflect notions of locality, heritage, sustainability and the revival of forgotten foods. One deserving restaurant will emerge with the coveted new title of Highland Park Slow Food Restaurant of the Year on April 30.”