Four Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery restaurants were celebrated at the 2019 Trencherman’s Awards in Devon, UK

The annual Trencherman’s Awards were this year held at Saunton Sands Hotel in north Devon, England, UK. The prestigious awards, which celebrate the South West’s exceptional restaurants, pubs, chefs and hotels, saw four Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery restaurants receive recognition for their achievements in the food industry.

TL&CC Collective member, Acorn, took home the Award for Creativity and Innovation. “The Trencherman’s was a great win for us. Often you get left out of these events because the industry all too often doesn’t think of vegan food as serious food,” says owner and chef Richard Buckley. “To not only get invited, but to win against some really amazing places, is a wonderful validation that plants are coming of age.” Buckley was also awarded Veggie Pioneer at Olive magazine’s 2018 Chef Awards.

Three other TL&CC restaurants were acknowledged at the 2019 Trencherman’s Awards. Bedfordshire establishment The Bell Inn was named a grand finalist for the Best Bar List, while Hampshire restaurant, hotel and spa Chewton Glen was named a grand finalist for Best Dine and Stay Experience. For the Best Dining Pub award, Cornwall restaurant Star & Garter made the list of grand finalists.

News: other things you need to know

• Two more TL&CC restaurants have won big, this time with Esquire Singapore’s list of “The best restaurants in the world, according to some of the most influential chefs and restauranteurs across the globe”. Vietnamese eatery ănăn Saigon placed third on the list, with Singapore restaurant Burnt Ends following in fourth place. Salvation in Noodles founder Chef Colin Tu described ănăn as “progressive using modern techniques and traditional flavours”, while Barbadian Chef Paul Carmichael said Burnt Ends is his “go-to whenever I am in Singapore”.
• US TL&CC Collective member Black Dirt was one of the participating restaurants in Kansas City’s March of Dimes ‘Signature Chef Auction’. The March of Dimes was founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt to help eradicate polio and currently focuses on preventing premature birth. Black Dirt co-owners Jonathon Justus and Camille Eklof provided a generous package for auction, inviting six people to their Paradise, Missouri property Eklof Farm for a special dinner. They raised over US$20,000 for charity.
• Fogo Island Inn, Canada is celebrating independent travellers with a unique winter program from 23 December – 3 January. ‘A Merry Solo Christmas’ invites solo travellers staying three nights or more to partake in a festival itinerary that includes dining with Community Hosts and outdoor adventures such as snowshoeing, hiking and wildlife watching. Visit fogoislandinn.ca for more information.
• Final reminder: Australian and World editor Jill Dupleix is hosting a Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery stall at the Carriageworks Farmers’ Market in Sydney, Australia this weekend, 1 December. Carriageworks’ Creative Director Mike McEnearney and Australian contributing editor Lee Tran Lam will be dropping by, along with the mighty Better Read Than Dead bookstore, with books for sale; and Michael Ingrey, general manager of the National Indigenous Culinary Institute (NICI), which receives 5% of the proceeds of sales to help them train indigenous chefs in Australia. From 8am to 1pm, bring family, tell friends, all welcome!