Northcote’s Craig Bancroft wins Catey Award 2017
Last night saw Northcote’s Managing Director, Craig Bancroft presented with the Wine and Spirit Ambassador Award at the 34th Catey Awards at London’s Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel. The awards are the biggest of their kind for the hospitality sector and recognise the best talent and brands, chosen by more than 140 judges from the industry itself.
This specific Wine and Spirit Ambassador Award honours an individual who has made a major contribution to the knowledge, understanding and promotion of wines, Champagnes and spirits in the UK hospitality industry. The awards state that “The recipient will display a proven track record for profiting from the sale of alcoholic beverages and training staff in effective wine service; and will demonstrate a wider commitment to their industry, through their involvement in the fields of education or charity.”
Bancroft was up against tough competition, with Matthieu Longuere of Le Cordon Bleu and Christine Parkinson of Hakkasan Group also shortlisted.
Craig Bancroft, Managing Director of Northcote, said: “I’m absolutely delighted with this award and it really goes to the whole wine team. Behind the team is our Master of Wine, Nick Adams and our wine supplier, Julian Kaye Managing Director of The Wright Wine Company, who I meet with every month with our team of five sommeliers to ensure we are always learning and continually improving our wine list for our guests.”
Food and wine matching is a huge focus for the team at Northcote and great pride is taken in creating a wine list, as well as wine flights that are unique and satisfying to the customers. The list now represents 52 Champagnes and Sparkling Wines and 500 Bins of still wines from 20 Countries with a strong representation from Portugal. Northcote also prides itself on value, with wines on the list ranging from £26 through to £800.
The team at Northcote works hard to offer guests an oasis of food and wine excellence with genuine service and this hard work has been recognised recently with a number of award wins including; Hotel of the Year 2016 in the AA Hospitality Awards, and Hotel of the Year 2017 in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. Bancroft himself has also been celebrating several other successes including The Caterer’s Hotelier of the Year 2016 and Imbibe Hotel Personality of the Year 2017.