Winners of Delapré Food Festival’s competition have been announced, celebrating the creativity, ambition and entrepreneurial talent of Northamptonshire’s next generation of food innovators.
The competition challenged catering and business students from local colleges to create and pitch original food items with real commercial potential, whilst also including a link to Northamptonshire in the product’s concept. Designed to mirror the journey from idea to market, participants developed fully realised products complete with branding, pricing and marketing strategies.
Following a competitive judging process, this year’s winning team from Moulton College impressed judges with their innovation, quality and market-ready approach with their Northamptonshire Scone, a twist on the classic tea-time item. The judges agreed that the team’s use of local produce was a strong component of their product and contributed significantly to their win.
The team, Chloe, Erin, and Michael, noted that they were keen to not over-complicate the brief, stating that the idea of the scone showcased their use of ingredients in a simple yet effective way. Erin explained:
You can make all sorts of things, but I think we came up with the idea of the scone so it didn’t complicate the product and the ingredients we were using. We wanted to showcase it with something simple, so they really came through.
By providing a platform that bridges education and industry, the competition equips students with practical experience and insight into launching a product in a competitive market, from concept development through to customer engagement. The team explained how they found it extremely valuable to get the opportunity to think about food commercially: “Going into this and working out the breakdown of the costs and the scaling and the marketing, everything is quite a bit more in-depth than what we had thought before.”
Bart Polinski, Executive Head Chef at Delapré Abbey and part of the judging panel, said: “Opportunities like this allow for students to get a glimpse of the food industry in action, giving them a clear vision of what they are working towards. All of the students’ confidence and hard work that they put into making not just their products, but fully composed business plans and presentations, was extremely impressive.”
As part of their prize, the winners will now bring their product to life in a real-world setting, launching it at the upcoming Delapré Food Festival 2026, taking place on 6–7 June. The festival is a major celebration of food and drink, concluding Northamptonshire Food & Drink Week, featuring artisan producers, street food, chef demonstrations and family-friendly experiences set within the Abbey’s historic grounds.
In addition, the winning product will be stocked at The Orangery Café at Delapré Abbey for the following six months, offering an extended opportunity for visitors to support emerging local talent beyond the festival weekend.
This initiative forms part of Delapré Abbey’s wider commitment to supporting skills development, enterprise and pathways into the food and hospitality industries. Sarah Blunt, Senior Development Chef at Classic Cuisine, and part of the judging panel, said: “A competition like this is fantastic. It really does show students a way of looking at what’s available.”
Crispin Slee, founder of Delapré Food Festival, said:
I was bowled over by the standard and the quality of the entries. It was clear everyone had put in a lot of time and effort. I can’t wait to see the look on the faces of the winning team when we open the festival and they sell their first scone. It will be a magical moment.
The winning students said: “We worked so hard to try and produce the best thing we could and seeing it in a real commercial setting is so exciting. We can’t wait to hear all of the feedback: even if customers don’t like it, it will be really interesting to hear what people think!”
The initiative also highlights the important role that heritage venues like Delapré Abbey can play in fostering innovation, supporting local supply chains and nurturing future talent.
With the countdown now on to Delapré Food Festival, visitors will have the chance to taste the winning product for themselves, while enjoying a vibrant programme of food, drink and entertainment in one of Northampton’s most iconic settings.
