Topsham’s growing reputation as a foodie’s paradise has received another boost after its eateries recorded a hat trick of regional awards.

The Georgian Tea Room, the Galley Restaurant and Darts Farm have all been named as Gold award winners in the 2011 Taste of the West competition, in the caf�/tea room, restaurant and retail categories respectively.

Awards recognition is nothing new for the Georgian Tea Room, with owner Heather Knee struggling to count the number of wins she’s had over the years.

She said: “I think we’ve won nine golds and two silvers over the years. It’s just about keeping the standard up, and doing things good and proper.”

Heather sources most of her ingredients locally, and says that the high quality of the area’s produce is good news for her and her customers.

“I get my veg from Richard’s, which gets lots of produce for me, which is grown around the area, and I get my fish from Dart’s Fish Shed, which is often caught that day.

“I think people like to eat local food and know where it’s come from, and I always buy the best quality.”

While Heather has years of award winning experience to draw on, the exact opposite is true of the Galley Restaurant, whose award comes less than a year after it was taken over by new owners.

Joint owner Nigel Mitchell said: “We’re thrilled and quite humbled to be awarded gold in our first year, and it’s testament to our chef Ed’s wonderful cooking. It’s all about keeping it local and fresh – that’s our byword.”

The three businesses will now be competing for the overall titles in their categories, which will be announced at the Eden Project on November 1.