Festival Burger and Chips Shop wins gold at the Reading Festival’s Al Fresco Awards

What’s a Festival without a Burger? Well, the Festival Burger and Chips Shop proved to be more than just a burger van, as it won the Reading Festival’s Al Fresco Awards gold prize for food hygiene and best managed food outlet.

The shop, which was ran by Barry and Margaret Walters, won the accolade after scoring top marks in the award for outdoor caterers, which means the couple are entitled to a free pitch at next year’s Reading Festival.

The pair impressed the Council’s consumer protection team, which inspects food outlets at the Reading Festival and offers them a Food Hygiene rating, after scoring top marks in food safety.

To decide which trader wins a gold, silver or bronze award, the Council’s Consumer Protection team put 14 of the five rated traders which are considered to maintain the standards throughout the festival, forward to Festival Republic – organisers of Reading Festival.

Festival Republic judge other criteria include gas safety, noise at work compliance, management and also carry out an ecology assessment - which includes how staff travel to and from the festival, using eco-friendly or biodegradable cleaning products, and how they recycle waste.

The silver award this year went to David Biddy’s Pizza shop, who is now entitled to a 20% discount off their pitch for next year’s festival.

Five other outlets were awarded bronze status, which entitles them to preferential locations for Reading Festival 2012. They were Adam Banks & Carla Thetford’s Halloumi & Chorizo van from Essex, Tom Pinyopat’s Chinese food from Leicester, Elliot Burden chicken wraps from Surrey, Teresa Seevanasen Asian food stall from Middlesex and Alistair Hantler coffee and cakes from Bristol

Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Environment and Climate Change, Cllr Paul Gittings, said: “This is the 13th year that the Al Fresco awards have taken place – which celebrates the most hygienic food providers at the world famous Reading Festival. Festival goers want to have fun, but also be safe in the knowledge that they are buying food from one of the catering outlets that is of good quality, hygienic and up to standard.”

In order for the traders to be eligible for the award, the food trader must achieve a five rating in the food hygiene rating scheme. The 5 rated trader must also have all round good management as well as good standards of health and safety and a regard for environmental issues.