The kind people at Taste of Staffordshire awarded us with another two certificates (ooooohh and a decanter and a bottle of fizzy stuff) last night at the presentation evening. We were warned that we had been short listed but beyond that knew nothing else.

Out of the hat came the 2nd place in Brasserie of the year, which we had attained for the 3rd year in a row. The competition was much harder this year as they had introduced an accreditation scheme to get into their guide, which gave zero cost entry into the awards. This meant many other venues entering the fray. We got beaten by another place, the Three Horseshoes, a brasserie in the Staffordshire Moorlands, who had beaten us two years prior.

Next came a 1st in the NFU Local Food Champion Award. This was great news as it put a tick against our commitment to buy from enthusiastic local suppliers. We have always believed that when you know the product and the person behind it, you will have a consistent ingredient and a strong relationship with the supplier. So it was almost a mirror, the National Farmers Union giving us an award.

Starting a restaurant at the very beginning of the recession was not one of our brightest ideas. Hindsight is a great predictor of how things work. During that time we have gone from strength to strength. In the first year our proudest moment was winning Best Newcomer of the Year in the Taste of Staffordshire Awards. In 2009 we were listed as a UKTV Food Hero in 2009. The crowning glory was a coveted listing in the Good Food Guide in 2010, only four places in Staffordshire made it.

It’s not been all awards and glory, there have been some real challenges from sacking dishonest staff to vandalism, theft and leaking ceilings. Each of these was dealt with and we have progressed onwards and upwards. A real inspiration for us came at the beginning of 2009 when Daniel Pilkington replaced our outgoing head chef. Dan has taken each new menu to higher standards. Through his knowledge of some great local suppliers and produce, each dish is continuously perfected. Our real key to growing during these difficult times has been in keeping an eye on quality and trying constantly, to improve on what we have done before.

Who knows what the rest of 2010 will bring, but we are looking forward to our 3rd birthday and many beyond that. A big thank you to some great locals who dine with us, supply us and work as a team with us.

We did it again and won an award in the Brasserie of the Year category. 99 Station Street was judged 2nd place (as last year), but we didn’t get to win Newcomer of the Year as last year

This has been a great achievement considering the increased competition in the county and also the volume of entries due to the Awards gaining popularity. Well done to the team, another high standard to aim for.