A DARLINGTON food producer is celebrating after becoming a finalist for a national award.

Calder’s Kitchen, which has a stall at Darlington’s food and drink festival this weekend, has been shortlisted for the Great British Food Awards 2021.

Four of its products have reached the final in the chutney and pickles categories – its original Piccalilli, as well as its Chillililli, beetroot chutney and spicy tomato chutney.

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Sales director Andew Fenner, who has been manning the stall, said: “These are quite prestigious so it’s great to have four in the final. It’s the first time we’ve been in this one.”

He added: “We’re here all weekend so we’re looking forward to seeing people.”

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The company will find out whether it has won at the end of October.

Last year, it won a Great Taste award for two of its products – the Chillililli and Sillylilli, which are both adaptations of its original 1960s family recipe. 

The company, which is based at Cleveland Industrial Estate, was founded in 2015 by husband and wife team Andrew and Anne-Marie Calder.

Its pickles and chutneys are now stocked all over the country. 

The recipe for their original product is based on Andrew’s late granddad Charlie's recipe, which they discovered and started trying out on friends and family. 

The company also has a stall at the Great Northern Food and Drink Festival, being held at Malton, in North Yorkshire, this weekend.

Darlington food and drink festival is on until Monday. It features food producers and street food stalls, as well as live music from the Mish Mash festival, which is also being staged in the market square on Saturday and Sunday.

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